


Athena Black and the King of Snakes

by Thewallflowerwithasword



Series: The Athena Chronicles [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, anger issues, lots of swear words, with bits of Warehouse 13 tossed in
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-15
Updated: 2017-05-08
Packaged: 2018-09-24 18:53:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 109,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9780503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thewallflowerwithasword/pseuds/Thewallflowerwithasword
Summary: Second year has found the gang still reeling from the year before. Come along for secrets, stories told in lavatories and some rather corny jokes on Athena's part. The next step to Athena, Harry, Hermione and Neville's destiny awaits...





	1. Onward Scottish Tour…

**Author's Note:**

> yea, so this one has been done for a while and I'm not sure if anyone on this site actually reads my words but I was bored and hate leaving things undone. Also I've hit a bit of a...block in writing for the next story in this saga thingy. Anyways...enjoy :)

Chapter One: Onward Scottish Tour…

It was July 1st and I felt…actually I didn’t know what to feel as I stared at the stone house with the steep gables. Moss covered some of the lower stones and the shingles on the steep steeples were different shades of reddish-orange; the brighter ones were newer ones. The front garden was trimmed neatly and the gate that gave an opening to the little stone fence had had its hinges oiled most recently. 

The house was three stories, if you counted the attic steeple. The windows were properly square and the very top ones were scenes in stained-glass. By all accounts, this house was well taken care of and a passerby would not have been out of place to think that the owner cared a great deal for it.

No one would ever guess that the house had sat empty for eleven years and it was under the care of a little hermit man who lived down by the river. If it wasn’t for the upkeep of the stone house nor the need for groceries, McGonagall said that caretaker, Walter, would never left his little home dug deep into the side of a hillock. 

The only time that the house, called the Teine Cloiche (which was apparently Gaelic for Fire Stone, I think it was for the color of its roof), had any guests was when Bridget and her family came over from Ilvermorny for holiday. Teine Cloiche was located on the outskirts of Castletown in Caithness, very northern Scotland. The house had been a ruin until my grandfather had bought it for a wedding present intended for his son and his new bride; Robert Bruce and Bellatrix McGonagall. This was also the house I’d been born in. 

It was the third week of the summer holiday and my fourth day of being with McGonagall in her ‘I’ll show you Scotland’ two week tour. We’d spent the night in Edinburgh, Glasgow and last night was Fort William; a day spent exploring each. I will say one thing about what I’d seen so far…it was so weird to Minerva McGonagall in muggle clothing. 

She’d shown up at the Tonks’s front door wearing women’s cut gray slacks, matching blazer with padded shoulders and a silky emerald green blouse. Oh, and I can’t forget the sunglasses nor the well-worn low heeled boots (woman didn’t need any more height added to her). At first I thought this very unfamiliar looking woman gotten the wrong house, we were nowhere near the downtown business district. I really couldn’t believe this modernly dressed business woman was Transfiguration Professor Minerva McGonagall. Oh, Gran found this very amusing, especially because she had fooled Nym as well. 

Turns out that it hadn’t taken much to convince Aunt Andy to let McGonagall take me for two weeks of the summer, as long as Jubilee went along (that was the elf’s stipulation by the way, I hadn’t been let out of the elf’s senses (not sure what that means) since Hogwarts let out), and that I took Gorgo with me as well. McGonagall had arrived early in the morning and had a very long conversation with Aunt Andy. A conversation that lasted most of the day that I spent packing the duffle bag that Aunt Andy had given me from the linen cupboard. The duffle bag used to be Nym’s and it was Nym who got to help me pack.  
…

McGonagall nudged my shoulder breaking me out of my musings as I stared at the house. I wasn’t allowed at Fraochtur because of Fergus. So instead, I was getting to stay at my parents’ old home which was deeded to the McGonagall clan for tax purposes. With a reassuring smile, McGonagall (dressed casually in jeans and a sweater) put her hand on my shoulder and led me through the gate of the five foot tall stone wall. A wave of magic rolling over me as I stepped across the property line. 

The wards that protected the house felt welcoming. I sighed in relief and felt my body relaxing, something that I was surprised by because I hadn’t realized how tense I was until right then; like I was waiting for something to attack me. The house, once inside, had that uninhabited smell that places get, it was stale and lacked something. I was trying to place what it was as McGonagall tapped the elaborately carved trim above the door and Jubilee ‘popped’ into existence beside me. 

She had Gorgo’s cage and a large duffle with her. The little elf looked around appraisingly and shook her head. She turned to McGonagall and waited almost impatiently, wanting to know where she and I would be staying. Jubilee understood about my nightmares and stayed with me to help me through them when she could. Though it had been McGonagall doing that duty the last three nights. 

“Right,” McGonagall let out a long sigh and smiled as she picked the larger duffle bag that had bedding and Forge in it, Tiberius had managed to secret himself way with Hermione before she headed off to Cardiff for the first few weeks of summer “we’re on the second floor,” McGonagall called over her shoulder as she headed towards the stairs. 

The house was decorated in rich colors of naturally dark woods, there was a mixture of oriental and Greek style vases about and static (muggle) land and seascape paintings. There were no family photos, not even ones that didn’t move and no moving paintings or portraits of past family members. Just more evidence as to the nature of the house now, a vacation home. 

On the second floor, down the left hand hall at the end was my room. McGonagall told me it was one of two rooms that were left alone except to be kept cleaned. The room had been my parents’ bedroom and the other room, first door at the head of the hall, was Robert’s study. Unfortunately, the ministry had confiscated everything that had been in Bellatrix’s potions lab when she first started acting the Death Eater. 

The bedroom was comfy, the furniture arranged in a pleasing design that didn’t disrupt the flow that it created. Just inside the door to the right was a row of low but long dressers, a handsome red wood that housed the pictures that had been missing from downstairs but none of them were older than early 1980. 

Along the far wall was a vanity made of ebony with its mirror being covered by a white sheet and next to that was the door for the closet. The four poster bed was elaborately carved but not overbearing. It sat between two windows near the far corner of the room with the window near the wall had about a meter of clearing from the corner. Under that was a bedside table that held an owl’s perch. Filled book shelves dominated the rest of the room with a small couch and two plush chair by an empty fireplace. 

Besides the pictures there was still clothes on hangers, jewelry littered the vanity with combs and brushes. There was a pair of men’s shoes on the floor with side of the bed that faced the room. It was like my parents had just left for the day and were intending on coming back. I stood in the middle of the room and frowned.

“Why did you leave it?” I asked McGonagall, who was looking over the pictures on the dresser “why do this?”

She sighed but did not turn “because it would have been final and I didn’t want to let them go, not even your mum. This was my way of holding on,” she explained “your granddad tried to convince me to box up what I didn’t want to give to charity, like the clothes and such, but I couldn’t. I’d already done that for Tomas and my brothers.”

“We never did talk about Bellatrix,” I said softly “at school after Neville had told me what she’d done.”  
McGonagall inhaled deeply, held it for a long while before letting it out and saying “that discussion is not one I wanted to have anytime soon,” she admitted with her back still to me “but we will, in time,” the woman promised and turned to face me “this will be your room while we are here. Bridget and her two youngest will be arriving tomorrow. They will be attending Hogwarts at the start of the new term.”

I frowned “I thought the twins were the older ones.”  
McGonagall chuckled “as it happens twins run in both Ross and Holmes families. Bridget had two sets of twins and called off having any more children, didn’t want the hat trick she said.”

“Wow,” I blinked at her, ignoring the fact that Jubilee had jumped right in on preparing the room for me and her, she’d stripped the bed already and was redoing it with the bedding she’d brought “was it a buy one get one free deal?” Gran about hurt herself laughing.  
…

Dinner that night spent at the little kitchen table. McGonagall, well…Granny or Gran; Grandma was acceptable too, as she preferred to be called now that school was out, made dinner despite Jubilee’s protests. Gran (was the easiest for me to stick with) wanted to fix her family a meal, Jubilee blushed and her ears quivered happily to be considered part of Gran’s family. 

Between the two, however, they agreed that I needed to learn to cook. Gran added that to her to-do list for our visit. Dinner was really good and it didn’t include sheep’s gut. Gran just laughed when I told her this and she smirked back that she had raised four children without the wondrous help of a creature like Jubilee. The elf blushed again from her spot at the table. 

The three of us spent the rest of the evening before bed looking through Robert’s study. He had tomes upon tomes of spells…or is it had had? That question plagued me as I ran my fingers along the spines of his collection sitting snugly on their shelves. I found one book on a spell called expecto patronum. 

I took that one down because I heard Fraser and Kaylee talking about it once. It was the only defense against dark creatures like dementors and lethifolds. Neither of those sounded pleasant so I was curious this defense. Gran looked amused as I sat down beside her on the little leather couch, tucking into her side and began to read. She had her own book that she’d found on Robert’s desk. 

“Bit advanced, don’t ya think, lass?” she asked settling an arm around me  
I shrugged “meh, if I find big words I’ll just ask you…or write Hermione,” I deflated a bit at the mention of the bushy haired girl. 

Gran raised an eyebrow “and how is Miss Granger? Have you two made up yet?”

Sighing heavily, I cracked open my book “sort of, maybe…I don’t know,” I shook my head “I think that we could be great friends if people weren’t interfering, I mean we were before school started. She left for Cardiff not long after we got back from Hogwarts, I miss my friend but I don’t at the same time,” I felt guilty about that “I don’t miss the wondering if she’s lying about something, wondering if she doubts that I’m smart enough to catch it. It’s the same with Harry, except he’s taking this ‘break’ thing seriously because he hasn’t written me back yet.”

“What do ya mean, lass?” Gran asked

I sighed “well, I wrote him several times since we got back. I wanted to see if he was alright because his relatives are ass-hats to him, hey!” I protested when Gran smacked me “what was that for?”

“Language, lass!” Gran rolled her eyes at me “I swear if I hear you use that type of language again, I will wash your mouth out with soap and you’ll be frothing at the mouth.”

I glared at her “but they are! They’re horrible to him ! I just wanted to know if he was okay and if there’s anything I could do for him.”

Gran shifted uncomfortable “Dumbledore has his reasons for Harry being there.”

I snorted “yea, I don’t trust Dumbledore’s decision making skills,” I huffed “but whatever.”

“What about Neville?” Gran asked with a chuckle

I shrugged “his Gran got a wild hair and decided to go globetrotting, he wrote me before they took off to Nepal. He’ll be back like two weeks before school starts.”

Gran laughed at that “that sounds like Augusta.”

We went back to our separate books then. The Patronus charm was rather fascinating to read about. It literally meant in Latin ‘I await a guardian’ and was considered one of the most powerful defensive charms known to magic users. When evoked correctly it produced a silvery blue, fully corporeal animal. If not evoked properly it just created a silvery blue mist. 

The patronus was interesting on many levels because it could also indicate what a person’s animagus form would be. The animal usually represented a person’s personality. I raised an eyebrow at this and looked up at Gran. A slight smile on her lips as her eyes flicked across the page she was reading. I knew she was a cat animagus because she’d demonstrated it the first day of my first Transfiguration class. 

“You’re staring, little lion,” Gran shifted her eyes to me “did you have a question about your reading?”

I nodded “why are you a cat?” I asked, the look of astonishment at such a question on Gran’s face was almost comical and it made me laugh “I mean why is your animagus form a cat? Is that your patronus too?”

Gran chuckled as she set her book aside and tapped me on the nose “my form is a cat because that’s what I became when  
I went through my transformation. That’s what animal part of my personality identified with and yes, my patronus is a cat.”

“I heard that you have to keep a mandrake leaf in your mouth for a month with lots of meditation,” I frowned “wouldn’t that be gross?”

Gran nodded “it was mildly disgusting, aye, but worth it. Do you want to learn how to be an animagus?” she asked curiously 

I nodded “I would, I’ve always wondered what I’d be. I met a lady in China who could turn into a tiger. She said it kept her limber enough to continue practicing her martial arts which helped with her magic. Also, she was soft when she transformed.”

“I have some books you can read about it but I’d prefer if you didn’t try anything until at least your fourth year,” Gran said pointedly “normally Dumbledore would teach you if you wanted to learn the skill but I think I’m going to refuse him this particular student.”  
……

I stayed up as long as I could get away with, sneaking the patronus book out of Robert’s study with me. It ended with Jubilee taking my book away, shutting of the light and climbing into the dresser drawer she’d claimed as hers. I cuddled in close with the purring pillow and stared at the wall until I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. 

The chamber was cold…no, not this again…Quirrell’s blue eyes held mine…I knew it was a dream but I couldn’t escape…then the eyes changed colors as Quirrell’s face shifted. His skin became darker just like his eyes. A mask, wait…it wasn’t a mask but white face paint that had been done to look like a skull’s face…I wanted so badly to get away now that I was thrashing against the hold of the dream and screaming at it. 

“Do you really think could really get away, pitit,” a smooth and mature feminine voice came from the painted face “nanm ou ki pou mwen, pitit,” the woman hissed “your soul will always be mine!” A painted hand reached out from the darkness that surrounded the woman, it was coming at my face. 

Something touched me the same time that the painted skeleton hand grabbed my face and I shot out of bed, fighting the covers and whatever had me. I got free of the blanket and the creature that had me and I hit the floor running. Strong arms caught me at the door to my room, shushing my screams as we sank to the floor. 

“Tis alright, Athena,” Gran whispered as she held tightly to me, gently rocking as my fear started to abate and lessen “you’re safe, you’re safe here with me,” she promised as I turned my face into her and gave into the threatening sobs that burned at my throat “I won’t let them hurt you.”

“There was a monster after me,” my tears were soaking her nightgown “in my dreams and it felt real.”

Gran’s embrace grew tighter around me as if to shield me from my nightmares. With great strength, or she might have cast a feather light charm on me, Gran rose with me in her arms and carried me back to bed. There she slipped into the bed and promised not to leave me. I motioned to Jubilee to come over, patting the bed next to me; having them on either side of me made me feel safer.  
… 

Breakfast was a quiet affair the next morning. I didn’t want to talk about what I’d seen no matter how much Gran asked and prodded. She frowned when I just pushed the scrambled eggs around on my plate, asking if I could be excused before she made me promise that I’d eat at lunch and only then would she let me leave the table. The house felt oppressive or that could have been the heaviness I felt in my stomach, but I decided to grab the patronus book and headed out to the back garden. 

Gran tossed me a blue hooded sweatshirt as I headed out the back door. It was quite cool out and the wind sweeping in off Dunnet Bay wasn’t warming the air at all. There was a small tree in the back corner of the neatly kept garden that had low branches. That is where I went and found that from the lowest branch I could see out over the rock fence to be greeted by the sight of Dunnet Bay in its full glory…well, once you looked past the tall dunes at the beach. 

With my back resting against the harsh and biting tree trunk and the book in my folded lap, I found that I couldn’t tear my gaze away. I was lost to the view. It was peaceful, even with the few boats that came in and out of Castlehill harbor. The gulls squawking here and there over the sounds of the muggle cars passing by. 

I wish I could have stayed that way forever. It was so easy to lose track of time and what was going on around me. So much so that I never heard Gran calling my name from the kitchen door nor noticed her making her way cross the garden until she was right beside the branch I was on, calling my name again. She saved me by catching my arm when I jumped and began to fall out of the tree sideways; my book wasn’t so lucky and hit the ground. 

“Whoa there, little lion,” Gran pulled me back into a seated position “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“That’s alright,” I assured her trying to rein in my racing heart “dazed out there for a while.”  
Gran nodded “that can be forgiven, lass, and I’d leave you to it a bit longer but it’s lunch time and you’re aunt has arrived.”  
I frowned and looked back towards the house “how did she get here?” I asked “did I miss hearing a car?”

“Portkey, actually, and they walked from the local owl post aviary, its Castletown’s official portkey location,” Gran explained, she was standing to face me with her back to the bay “do you feel up to meeting them?” 

Glancing back at the house, I asked “is it just Aunt Bridget and her younger set of twins?” 

Gran glanced the same way “mostly, she brought a friend if that’s alright; a friend I asked her friend to bring along. Lucile Ball is one of the most qualified mind-healers registered with the IWC, means she can practice her craft internationally,” Gran clarified when I gave her a questioning look “Andromeda and I agreed that you needed this,” the woman defended herself when I glared at her “the nightmares like the one you had last night will go away if you let her help you, little lion. There is nothing wrong in asking for help.”

I gritted my teeth “there is nothing wrong with my head!” I snapped at the older witch “I don’t need mind-healing!”  
Gran pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow at me “if you don’t want your backside paddled, lass, you’ll change that tone,” she warned tersely “I will not be spoken to like that,” I tried to hold her gaze but it didn’t work “now,” Gran patted my knee “you’ll get down out of this tree and come meet your family.”

Grumbling, I waited until Gran had picked up my book and had moved aside before I jumped down and winced. I hadn’t realized just how numb my legs and backside had gotten while sitting in the tree. Gran put her arm around my shoulders to help steady me before starting me towards the house; she kept me upright when my knees wanted to buckle under me.  
Bridget was the first to welcome me, she’d been standing in the kitchen watching Gran and I through the window. The mini-McGonagall grinned as she bear hugged me, lifting me off my feet and swinging me about before she started kissing me cheeks in an obnoxious way that made me laugh. 

“There,” Bridget stated happily and put me back down, I noticed that I was certainly a bit taller than the last time I’d seen her “that’s better, you wearing a smile instead of a frown,” I just shrugged and kept smiling at her “so,” Bridget clapped her hands together “the twins are putting their things away with the help of that very eager elf,” the woman winked at me “little thing looked absolutely delighted to see more children about the house. Lucy is squaring herself away as well, last room on the right, correct Mum?” 

Gran nodded, gently pushing me aside a bit so she could get through the narrow spot of the kitchen that Bridget and I were blocking “aye, that’s right,” she smiled at me before looking back up at her daughter “I’m going to go check on the twins, make sure they haven’t talked Jubilee into anything they shouldn’t of.”

I watched Gran go, she seemed excited as she bound up the stairs. It hurt when I remembered how cold and distant she’d been upon our first meeting. Bridget and Fergus’s children would always know McGonagall as their grandmother and I’d only know her for just almost a year now. To cover the frown that had made its way back to my face, I set my book down on the table and moved to get a glass of water. Bridget watching my every move. 

She watched me sit down at the table and pick my book up again, Bridget took the chair next to mine at the roundish table “Mum told me what happened with Quirrell. It was very brave of you to go and help your friends like that. I don’t think it should have gotten that far and as a professor myself, I’m very sorry that you had to go through that, Athena.”

I shrugged but didn’t look up from my book “doesn’t matter,” I said not wanting to talk about it “Harry’s safe, Hermione and Ronald are still idiots but still safe and Tom Riddle failed to get the stone. We usurped the hated snakes of Hogwarts with some well-placed points for breaking the rules. Isn’t it that matters?” 

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Bridget raise an eyebrow at me “no, that’s not what matters. What matters is that you came out of it alive,” Bridget said reaching out and putting a hand on my arm “you matter more than that stone does.”

I couldn’t help but glance over with a glare before returning to my book, after a moment of getting my jaw to unclench, I finally spoke “can we talk about something else? How was the States? Bryan Adams still tearing up the billboard charts?” I asked “Brooks & Dunn still together? I wonder about them having true lasting power, honestly. That Robin Hood movie with Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman and Alan Rickman still doing smashing in the cinema? Who won the Super Bowl? Did the Bozeman Stampede take the American Quidditch Cup?” 

Bridget just blinked at me “wow, you know a lot about the Colonies, how?”

“That’s where we were before Fraser brought us to Scotland and I got my Hogwarts letter,” I merely shrugged “he was helping out with a demiguise problem, there was a rogue one that was had stolen several mates from the Oklahoma preserve and were over breeding them,” I sighed when I see Bridget’s look of concerned disbelief “the thing that makes invisibility cloaks went nuts and had lots of little things that makes invisibility cloaks,” I smirked “better?”

I was saved from Bridget’s reply when thunder rattled inside the house as two pre-teens came racing down the hall, to the stairs, down the stairs and towards the kitchen; laughing and being chased by Gran in her cat form. The silver tabby slid across the wood floor at the bottom of the stairs, streaked into kitchen and leapt onto my shoulder. 

The little cat with the powerful body meowed happily and began to rubbing her cheek against mine. The tabby’s whiskers tickled and I couldn’t but help laughing at Gran’s antics. When I was laughing properly, Gran jumped down and shifted back; when she was properly herself again she pulled me out of my chair and hugged me tightly. 

Over behind the mother, the twins were laughing as Gran wouldn’t let me go. The force of her hug had driven the air out of me. I remembered what I’d done to Nym at Platform 9¾ once; I went limp noodle in Grans arms and the woman grunted with the effort of keeping me up. 

“Not fair, little lion,” Gran struggled with the sudden weight shift “stand or I’ll let you drop!” she warned teasingly.  
I shrugged, not standing “I’ve miss the floor, terribly so! I wouldn’t mind be…ah!” I squeaked when Gran let me go and I crumpled to the floor. I just laid there and patted the wood floor “hello, my old friend!” 

Gran smirked and pulled me up and made a show of dusting me off. She gently smacking my backside while she was at it which produced more laughter from the twins. I gave the older woman a mock glare before reclaiming my seat, well…I tired. However, I was stopped when Bridget’s friend arrived in the kitchen with Jubilee in tow. 

“Athena,” Gran slipped her arm over my shoulder and pulled me around to face the new arrival “I would like to introduce you to Lucile Ball,” the woman was tallish, definitely not short, with red hair that’d rival the Weasley family. It was done up in a retro do from the forties, the top was very curly “Lucile, this is my eldest granddaughter, Athena Black.”

The woman smiled with pale features and ruby red lips “hello, Athena,” Lucile had a higher pitched voice and raspy but it wasn’t ear piercing unpleasant “how are you?”

“Meh…” I shrugged as I shook her hand, even her fingernails were bright red “I’m fine, how are you?”

“Slightly jet lagged but that’ll pass,” the woman mimicked my shrug. 

“What about us, Grandma?” two voices called out in unison “do we get an introduction?”

Gran looked over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow “eh? You want to be introduced to Lucile?” she teased “but ye’ve know her all you’re lives!” the twins, a boy and girl, folded their arms across their chests and glared at Gran until the woman relented “fine,” she groaned and turned me to face the young children “Athena, these are the strays that Bridget felt sorry for and brought along.”

“GRANDMA!” both twins protested in outrage, everyone else chuckled 

Gran just laughed “alright, fine, properly then…Athena, this is Malcom and Isobel,” Gran nodded her towards each one “Mal, Izzy, this is Athena.”

“Hullo,” I waved stupidly at them. 

The twins weren’t exactly identical but they were diffidently siblings. They had brown hair, Hermione’s was chocolate while theirs was chestnut, so they’d missed out on the McGonagall pitch black. Their eyes were the emerald green though and their features were softer, meaning they wouldn’t turn to that hard line the Highlander blood gave them when they got older. To finish off the look was the slap of freckles across their noses. 

“Hi,” Isobel or Izzy, I wasn’t sure which to use; the younger girl must have realized this because she added “you can call me Izzy, and Mal is just Mal, the stinky one.”

I raised an eyebrow at the scowling boy, who paused before he lifted his arm to sniff under it; he made a disgusted face “right, hail to you, Izzy and to you, Lord Stinky!”

Mal was torn between liking that and wondering if I was mocking him “I’m not sure if I like that or not, dude, I don’t like being confused.”  
…

The twins were fun; Izzy was most certainly the brains of the pair and Mal was her muscle. They were also very talkative and excited to meet me; which I found out when Jubilee sat us down to lunch. I was informed that they wanted to continue the family tradition of going to Hogwarts while their older brothers could start new traditions by going to Ilvermorny. 

They also talked about how cool it’d be get their wands at Ollivander’s; they didn’t believe me that that was an overrated experience. The pair kept talking all the way through lunch, I probably shouldn’t have told them I was friends (I think I still am if the prat would ever write me back!) with Harry Potter. 

Bridget finally had enough and decided to take the overactive children out for a long walk around Castletown. Actually that might have been scripted because once the three of them were out the door, Gran was ushering me up stairs to Robert’s study with Lucile following. Gran conjured two fold up chairs, facing each other, and sat me down in one while Lucile took the other.

Lucile smiled reassuringly, for the record I was getting sick of that type facial expression and I stopped whatever she was going to open with by saying “I don’t need help,” I said firmly “I’m just fine and I’d like to be left alone!”

The woman didn’t flinch nor did she seem rebuffed by this, she did send a quick glance to Gran who was sitting on the nearby couch “I see,” the woman turned her attention back to me, noting my defensive posture with my arms folded across my chest “your grandmother and guardian think differently, they’ve told me some of what you’ve experienced.”

“Yea?” I smirked darkly “well, they’re tattletales!”

Lucile chuckled, clearly amused “how about I make you a deal? Hmm?” she asked and continued when I didn’t reply “how about we just take a looksee through a process called legilimens, do you know what that is?”  
I frowned “yea, means you’re going to poke around inside my head using a spell, I know that the protection against that is occlumency.”

The red-headed woman smiled “Minerva was right, you are smart.”

I shook my head “just well read, there’s a difference.” 

Lucile put up her hands so not to argue the subject “point taken, however; and let me explain. Magical trauma can leave scars on our magic just like physical trauma can leave scars on our bodies and emotional trauma can leave scars on our minds. I treat the magical and the emotional trauma,” she explained “by using legilimens, I’m able to help a person process with what they’ve gone through so they can move on from it and sometimes I can even heal the scars I find.”

“You won’t find anything in my head but rocks and useless facts,” I scoffed at her “like did you know that Hercules and Heracles are actually not the same man, not really? Hercules is Roman, they changed his name when they adopted the Greek gods and remade them in Rome’s image,” I explained and Lucile let me “Heracles is Greek. He was named after Hera to appease her because Zeus was unfaithful again and Zeus was pleading with his wife so she didn’t kill the bastard child or his mother. It was Hera who drove Heracles insane so he’d murder his family and be disgraced and it was only the 12 labors that somewhat redeemed him.”

“Hmm, I didn’t know that,” Lucile blinked at me, even Gran was a bit stunned “where did you learn that?”

I just shrugged “I spent time in Greece, some of the older Amazons loved telling stories. They would barrow me from Kaylee in the evenings so they could have someone tell stories to. I just think some of them just liked the hearing the sounds of their own voice.”

Lucile chuckled “how about this, you let me poke around in that rock and useless fact filled noggin’ of your and I can talk your grandmother into getting you a present of your own choice,” the woman had leaned forward, resting one arm across her knee “what do you say, Min?” the mind-healer asked “that sound like a deal?”

Gran nodded and I just shook my head “you’re using open ended bribery?” I scoffed “come on, that’s a tad bit dangerous, don’t ya think?” I asked “I could ask for anything and I find this mildly insulting, you know.”

Gran smirked and narrowed her eyes at me, they ignored my comment about this being insulting “within reason, little lion, within reason.”

With a sigh, though there wasn’t really anything that I was wanting, but wait, I grinned “I want a sword,” I grinned triumphantly “like the Amazons but not a Greek one. More like a Bastard sword or a crusader’s style and I want to learn how to use it in the proper form.”

That caught both women by surprise “that’s what you want?” Gran asked skeptically “you want a sword?” 

I frowned at her “what else would I want?” I asked “I know about my family, I’m not with Fraser anymore and I don’t think a wave of a wand would fix my friendship with Hermione and Harry, it would be illegal to make Ron go away with a wave of a wand and it won’t help Neville’s parents neither…so, really, I’ve wanted a sword since Fraser took me to Macedonia.” 

“What about dueling instead?” Gran offered as a counter “I can teach you that myself and its non-lethal. If you’re doing it professional, that is, which I hope is the only dueling you ever do.” 

I growled softly “that the only offer?” I asked “because I really want a sword, I already have the cape!” 

Gran didn’t budge “it’s the best you’ll get, little lion,” her face set to stern “and that’s only if you cooperate.”

Letting out a frustrated growl, I snapped “fine, but next time don’t offer opened bribes if you’re not will to follow through.”

“That, my dear lass, can be arranged.” Gran said smoothly and smugly.


	2. Daemons and Nightmares….

“Alright,” Lucile Ball, the mind-healer, sighed and shook out her hands “this is going to a bit uncomfortable first, people normally have a natural barrier that protects their minds from intrusion,” she explained “this is something that we are going to work on together and I will talk you through it when we get there.”

I was not liking this situation whatsoever! Thanks to Gran and Aunt Andy I was stuck stilling across from the red-haired American who wanted to poke and prod inside my head. Gran had given me a raw deal with the swapping of bribes and now I actually had to go through with this. I flinched a little when Lucile brought her chair closer to mine and when she reached out for my face, I hissed and jerked back. Lucile held up her hands for peace “sorry, I should have warned you,” she said apologetically “I’m going to touch you now, this is easier done with skin to skin contact, and I promise that I won’t hurt you.”

Very slowly, Lucile reached out again and I shut my eyes tightly, holding on to the edge of my seat with white knuckles. All I could see was painted hands coming at me and I jumped when her hands made contact with my face. Her hands encompassed my face and I didn’t have time to contemplate why I felt trapped when I felt tendrils of magic tickle at my temples. It was coming from her fingertips. I grasped her wrists and gritted my teeth as she moved deeper and touched my mind. No longer was I aware of the outside world but of the wall that went up to stop her. It reminded me of the Great Wall of China; rolling along the edges of my mind, being intimidating and imposing. There had been very few who’d ever gotten past the Great Wall and it was firmly fixed in my mind. I had been taught well while in the Land of Chin.

“It’s okay,” I heard Lucile say “I’m not here to hurt you, I only want to help. It’s okay to let me in.”

Through gritted teeth I muttered back “no, it’s not! My mind is mine!”

I jumped when another hand touched me, gently laying on my arm while an arm went around my shoulders “it is okay, lass,” Gran said, from the sound of her she was kneeling beside my chair “I’m right here and you know that I will not let anything happen to you, you are safe with me.”

Then she started singing lowly a song that I recognized because she’d taken me to a Celtic music concert of local bands in Glasgow. The song was called ‘Caledonia’ and her smooth, rich voice was breaking through my panic and distracted me so that Lucile could slip in beyond my wall. That’s where I stopped listening as Lucile started exploring. It was all gentle and remained soothing the whole time but I didn’t like where all she was head. I gasped when she found the memory of Quirrell’s death. Her magic playing around the edges of it until she found a way past me as I tried to put up another wall. Lucile started the memory at the point where I had leaped over Snape’s enchanted flames.

_…Quirrell was unwrapping the purple turban he always wore and Harry was just standing there, watching this happen as if he were unable to move. I was panting when the DADA professor came into to view; there was another man’s face on the back of his head and it was talking… ...my mind was racing now and my heart was thumping loudly. Quirrell was searching through the shattered mirror and I had Harry behind the pillar for cover. Harry had just told me that that face on the back of Quirrell was Voldemort…_

I tried to force Lucile out of my head then. Her grip on my face tightened so I didn’t throw her off when I started shaking my head. This part coming up was one that I didn’t want to watch again, didn’t want to experience again. I didn’t want to see his face, I saw it enough in my dreams.

_…my taunts through the smoke worked. Quirrell was moving away from the mirror so he wouldn’t see the shards of glass rise up to strike him. Now he was looking for me, my squib remark had hit a nerve. There was no hesitation in my hand as I jerked my wands towards me…_

“NOOOOO!” I screamed, both Gran and Lucile holding me in my place as I fought them, trying to be free of her physical hold. I could hear Lucile’s voice as the memory jerked and sputtered in place like an old reel projector that was failing. She was saying loudly so I’d hear her “let me see what happens next, I can help you, please,” I didn’t give in my choice, it just happened.

_…the two shards of glass moved forward…_ I didn’t want this, I didn’t want to see it… _Quirrell grunted as the large pieces of glass bayonetted him like a solider looking for the close quarter kill. His eyes found mine in the thinning smoke screen…and…and…he started to fade. His image of him kneeling became less sharp. The emotions he conjured, the anger, the sadness, the guilt were lessening…_ “

What did you do?” I demanded, my eyes still tightly shut “why do I remember the facts but why is it harder to see?”

I could hear the smile in Lucile’s voice “because I’m healing the scar this produced on your magical core. Your waking mind was causing your magic to strain itself to protect you against this trauma but in doing so was making you relive it when your subconscious mind takes over, when you spelt,” she explained as the whole of Quirrell’s passing got dimmer “I am simply smoothing out, healing the scar.”

My whole body began to relax and started to tremble like I’d just run one of Fraser’s ‘little jogs’. My emotions had wiped me out and left me feeling like an overcooked noddle. I thought Lucile was done. I thought the session was over when she left Quirrell’s repaired scar. Then she started shifting through my brain again. I’m not sure what she found, I think I know what it was, but when she found a more ‘repressed’ spot it felt like I had grabbed a hold of a live transmission wire. A harsh and coursing electrical bolt flashed through my brain, kicking Lucile out of my head. It coursed through my body and took me to the whole where I blacked out while convulsing and screaming.

_…Fraser was supposed to have been watching me, I’d seen Kaylee make him promise her that he’d watch me with both eyes. We were supposed to be in the Yucatan looking for some Mayan treasure trove for Fraser to desecrate. Instead, he had decided to make a detour and I could hear Kaylee screaming over the phone when we arrived in Haiti, he’d found us a rather nice hotel._

_“Right, kid,” Fraser smirked, after hanging up on the livid woman who was paid to teach me, not to love me. As Fraser had reminded Kaylee from time to time to her keep ‘professional, impersonal and employed’. He really enjoyed poking at her with that tidbit “here’s the deal, there’s a man here who’s willing to pay me a lot of galleons to help him with a little voodoo rodent problem. Some practitioner is stirring up some nasty little zombie-like creatures that he wants destroyed,” the deep chestnut haired man explained, I think he was trying to scare me “I’m stuck with you because Parmenter is off doing real life stuff that she’d be a part of if you didn’t exist, hell, even I wish you didn’t exist kid. It’s my belief that your mum should’ve swallowed instead,” there was a reason I hated this asshole “so you’re going to stay here while I deal with things, rooms paid so you can stay here for as long as it takes me to do this.”_

_He threw a coin purse at me; a mixture of coins and American paper currency, and then he left. I stared at the purse in my hands and then gaped at the door. Did…did he really just…did that bastard just really leave me here by myself? In a place we’ve never been before and leaving me without someone I know. Someone whom I can go to if I have trouble? More importantly did he just break his word to Kaylee? I had little choice but to stay put as I made sure the door was locked, like I’d been taught, before going over to my trunk. Fraser had resized it out of pure habit. I found the most recent book that Kaylee had me reading for my book report. It was a historical account from a witch who’d lived through the French Revolution…_

My eyes opened slowly and I was struggling to breathe as my whole body felt lifeless and numb. I felt like it’d been hit by a lightning or something with aftershocks still coursing through me. I could feel it but something was blocking the pain. Bridget held my left hand just like Gran was holding my right hand, I could feeling their magic stabilizing something inside me. Lucile still had her hands on my face even as I was lying stretched out on the floor. At my feet was Fraser, I hadn’t see him in over a year now. His brown eyes were fixed, wide eyed and his lips were moving in a chant with the tip of his wand was aglow and pointed at my head.

I panicked when I found him there. I’m not sure which is worse, not knowing what was going or seeing Fraser with his wand pointed at me. The argument won was the one that said that I needed to get away from him and whatever the hell was going on. When I fought, when I struggled to get free and run, another surge of energy hit me like a rogue wave slamming into the side of a ship out at sea. My body convulsing, thrashing about once more and I was sent back to the memory.

_…how could one comment/question about ghosts set someone so cross? This I thought as I hurried back towards the hotel where Fraser had left me three days ago. Dark clouds were gathering out towards the sea and didn’t help the ominous feeling I had had since that conversation with the woman in market had went sour rapidly. I had left the hotel to get lunch before stopping at the local Gringotts branch to exchange the more of the gold coin for currency. Though I’m sure that both the locals and the goblins were delighted in ripping off an eight year old financially in some way because I was certain that money should have lasted longer. I was only buying food with it and one book._

_Said book was in my hands and it didn’t seem worth it because I felt like I was being followed. I had tried doing what Fraser had taught, trying to lose the tail I’d picked up but they stuck to me like a blood hound. Now all I wanted was the safety of the hotel room. The man at the front desk eyed me strangely as I rushed past him towards the elevator. It was the scared look on my face that I couldn’t repress. Finally…finally! I was back in the room with the door locked and the chain in place. Maybe now my dinner would decide to stop threatening to revolting and settle in place._

_I was heading to sit on the far bed and just breathe calmly until that sickening feeling that I’d had faded away. Dear divines, I was almost there in my sense of deluded safety when the door to the room exploded inwards in a shower of shards that stopped in mid-air before they skewered me. I scrambled to the other side of the bed to duck down beside it and hide, there was no escape out the window because it was a two story fall. In through the door, scrolling as if she were walking through a beautiful garden was the woman I’d argued with in the market._

_She was so much older than she looked, I could feel that all the way through to my magical core. Even though she had smooth skin and couldn’t have been no older than twenty five (I’m just guessing) there was an elderly sense about her. She wore a yellow and red two-piece ensemble, a tight band that only covered her breasts and left her stomach and shoulders free for view. The long matching skirt hung loose on her hips. Her dark hair was done up in a multitude of dreadlocks and she had long black nails. The jewelry she wore was confusing and jarring, no one piece could be clearly made out._

_“No point in hiding, pitit,” the woman laughed raising her hand in a claw before rotating it back and forth, the man that had been at the front desk lumbered in behind her like he was her puppet. Her accent was that of the Louisiana bayou, I’d heard that before on a very nice man who sold beignets in New York once “I will find you, pitit. Your elders should have taught you to respect the spirits and dem who practice and do their biddings. They should not have left this to Miss Abby to do it for dem.”_

_I glanced back over my shoulder, that window was looking good right now. When I turned back towards the door to see where the woman I was, I screamed because she was right there at the end of the bed. Not thinking, I threw my book at her face and scrambled over the bed and ran for the door. The woman screamed as the heavier book hit her but she recovered quickly and the enthralled desk man caught me three steps from the door. He heaved me up and over his shoulder. I screamed again, I couldn’t help it because the woman had changed. A blue silk bandana kept her locks back and she was painted like a skeleton._

_“Let me go!” I screamed kicking and slamming my fists into the uniformed man “let me go, damn you! Fraser is going to get you for this!” that was a bluff and I was praying it’d work._

_The woman just laughed as she wiped the blood away from her nose, not smudging her paint “and who might this Fraser be, pitit?” she asked moving graceful towards me._

_“Blake Fraser, jack of all trades and a dark creature killer,” I shouted “and if you don’t let me go, he’s going to find you and kick your ass, lady! Ow!”_

_She’d slapped me hard enough to leave my cheek stinging “no, child,” she gave out a cackling laugh “he will not but he will see what I’ve done to his little child.” Miss Abby, as she called herself, started to chant and it ended when she slammed the cane down (I hadn’t noticed the skull capped cane till now) sending out a ball of sickly grey light. The woman smiled at me as it hovered at breast level to her, she reached out and caressed the thing. Cooing at it before speaking to it. “Go find Blake Fraser and tell him where to find me,” she told the ball, its light wavered as if responding to her “tell him his child is to die, her soul will be mine and will be used to make me completely young again, now go!”_

_… I felt small, alone and scared beyond terrified as I was huddled in the corner of a mostly abandoned building. To say mostly abandoned is because Miss Abby had taken over the building and now had me chained in the corner to some rusted pipes. I was trying to make myself as small as possible because I’d watched Miss Abby tear the deskman’s soul out, it was a misty yellow ball that had gone into a chain-link cage that had what looked like hair of all different colors threaded through the links._

_There were four other balls already in there. Currently, the priestess was carving up the man’s body. She’d stripped him naked using her sickly feeling magic and was taking a filet knife to him. I could hide my eyes but I couldn’t block out the noise of her cutting on him. My efforts to repress my sobs so she might forget that I was there didn’t seem to be working._

_“Cry all you want to, pitit,” the woman called in mocking tone “it will be the last time that you get to. The dead don’t cry,” Miss Abby taunted “they are not senseless copies of frightened people who did not want the afterlife, they can do more than pass through objects,” she laughed at that one “they can hurt you, child. They have power if one knows how to use it, if one knows how to listen to them.” “You’re fucking insane!” I screamed, I’m not sure where that came from but the word was certainly Fraser’s “you made your point! Let me go!” The woman just tisked at me, never looking up from her work “I don’t think I have, child, I have more to say on the matter.”_

_…if I still had a body I’d be throwing up right now. I could see my body, actually, right there on the other side of the chain-link cage that I was in. Miss Abby had finished with the front desk man and came for me; freeing the chain that held me and led me over to an altar. With a bloody hand to my chest, she chanted in that strange language again but I didn’t care what it was because I’d never felt that much pain before in my life…_

**_…my wife, she was going to wonder where I am. I’d told her I was just going to check on the bar in the French Quarter. The night had been festive and Mardi Gras had been good for us. So many people…_ **

_…what was that? It felt like a memory, a thought but whose and where’d it come from? I was panicking now because I didn’t know what was going on. I had no way to fight back as that woman cut away my shirt to start painting symbols on my skin…_

_**…its cold, so cold this thing I was lying on. Why can’t I see? That foul woman was around here somewhere. I have to get away. Dear Lord, how could I have been so stupid? I’m never drinking like that again! I swear it, oh lord, please let me get out of this place. I’ll clean up my act, go back to Shreveport and take my spot like father wants me; no more running around with lose women who lure drunk men into dark places. What’s that chanting, what’s that liquid on me? No, no, no, no, no, no, it burns! Ahhhhhhhhh!! SOMEBODY HELP ME! Agh! Fuck no, fuck no…** _

_“You hear dem yet, child?” Miss Abby called from where she was still painting me “do you hear dem other souls yet? I can hear dem, repeating their last thoughts before their bodies died and their connection to the solid world was severed. That’ll happen to you too, maybe, before I bind your soul to mine,” she laughed then “so powerful you are, child, so much magic that you’ve yet to tap into. Such a waste too. Oh, well…”_

_**…momma? Momma, where are you? I don’t know where I am. The lady said she’d help me home but she didn’t go the right way! I’m scared, momma, she’s talking funny and she’s dressed like that man from the shop you go to but I’m not allowed. Momma! MOMMA! She’s hurting me! Momma…** _

_**…I will have her, that old bitch! Bayou trash! Cajun whore! I will have her power! I will have the secrets that Laveau gave to her…** _

_There were so many that they all started to bleed together into a painful garble. I couldn’t escape it as each mangled wore tore at me; it hurt so much. Like every fiber of me was being cut by the voices that echoed through the void around me and all I wanted was for it to end. This was pure torment and torture. My screams were lost in the noise._

_...I could feel again, I had fingers and toes and arms and feet! The heart beating in my chest was steady and smooth and I could feel it with each beat. There was a rush of air into my lungs, I could feel my chest expanding and I could feel the rush of air out through my open mouth. Great divines, I was back in my body, I know it was mine because it felt right. My magic was wrapping around me as if to anchor me there and prevent that woman from taking it again. Miss Abby threw her head and laughed; it was a harrowing cackle that echoed throughout the room we were in._

_She chuckled and slapped at my cheek “you think that magick is going to save you?” she asked “I took your soul once, child, I’ll…” she stopped talking and looked towards the door just before she was sent flying backwards across the room by a violent red light._

_“What the fuck did you get yourself into this time, kid?” Fraser demanded, he’d come into my field of view “fuck ass-tits and dead horses! Parmenter is going to kill me for this! pfft….forget that, what’s Aunt Min going to do me?” I watched him look towards the unconscious woman “fuck my world sideways and thrice on the morrow!” He wrapped me in his cloak, not caring about my whimpering as he slumped me over his shoulder and hightailed it out of there. I passed out when he apparated once he was clear of the building and woke when I felt water rushing over me. We were back at the hotel and I was in the bath. Fraser was frantically scrubbing and washing that paint off my skin._

_…I frowned and tilted my head to the side as Kaylee marched our way looking as livid and cross as I’d ever seen her, like ever. Fraser and I had returned to the Yucatan, to the place we were supposed to be; Fraser had called Kaylee to tell her we were heading back. Looking up at Fraser, my frown deepened. I could remember the woman who’d taken me but I couldn’t remember her name. I could remember that she’d done something to me but not what…I think. It was all fuzzy and disorientating like I’d just woken up from a very long nap._

_“What did you do to her?” Kaylee demanded pulling me away from Fraser’s side, kneeling before me to look me in the eyes, her hands holding my face “damn it, Fraser, what have you done?” …._

I gasped in mouthfuls of air and tried to move but it felt like I was treading quicksand. I mean, I could only imagine what that felt like but I’m pretty it was like what I was feeling. My muscles were slow to respond and I had no energy to move at all. This meant only moving my eyes about and I found the most interesting of scenes. Nym had Fraser pressed up against the wall with her wand pressed into the underside of his chin. Gran stood next to her but doing nothing to take away Nym’s wand or moving to stop her. I would say that Fraser looked properly scared. Looking straight up I found at Healer Strout, she worked with Aunt Andy, I blinked in confusion at her, when she’d get here? Where was Lucile? Glancing over, I found that Aunt Andy had taken Gran’s spot.

“What…” I croaked, my voice harsh and uncomfortable.

“Shush,” Aunt Andy tried to smile at me but it wavered as more tears started falling down her cheeks “you’re going to be okay, Athena,”

“Aye,” Bridget was still here, the only one to remain “you are, you’re going to be just fine.”

“Sleep now…” Aunt Andy whispered, her magic sending me to a place without dreams


	3. The Power of the Dreamer

When I woke I found my whole body hurt. There were places on me that were sore that I didn’t know existed. I was still tired and lacked the necessary energy to move very much, also that I was facing the back of the leather couch in Robert’s study. Someone was still holding my hand, but this hand felt different. It wasn’t soft like any of the women I knew and the hand was much too big, as well. So when I turned my head to see who it was, I had no strength to be surprised it was a man I’d never met before but he looked familiar.

He had short black hair and strong features like Bridget and Gran; he looked a lot like Robert had. The man wore a neatly trimmed beard and wire rimmed glasses. Behind those were light brown eyes. He looked tired and conflicted.

“As much as it pains me to say it, tis good to see you awake,” his voice was gruff “I may dislike you simply because of your mum but I don’t want you dead.”

I raised an eyebrow at him “that’s reassuring, well, it would be if I were feeling better. What happened?”

Fergus, I’m guessing he was Fergus, glowered “my idiot cousin almost killed you by cursing you to save his own hide. He was always a coward when it came to face my mother,” he scoffed “tried to make you forget what happened with the Haitian woman but forgot that young minds work in different ways than adult ones. You remembered over time, considering you told Mum about what happened but you thought he was just lessening the burden of trauma.”

I swallowed thickly at the dryness in my mouth “so that’s why it hurt so much?” 

He nodded “mostly, but now it’s slowly killing you until we can find a way heal the scar he made on your magical core. The curse played out but the aftermath is tricky to deal with.”

“Why would he do that then, curse me?” I asked, I wasn’t surprised that Fraser had done that.

Fergus shrugged “the curse originally was to just make you forget and give you incentive to stay away from that memory but it mutated the longer it was on you as your magic changed. All children will have their magic change as they grow older because it becomes less wild and more orderly as our bodies and minds mature. I don’t think the fool was actually trying to kill you but that’s what nearly happened in the end.”

I nodded “that makes sense but,” I paused feeling winded with heavy eyelids “but why are you here? I wouldn’t have thought you’d want to meet me, not that I blame you but…”

The man sighed heavily “because no matter what I’ve done against you, lass, you are still Robert’s daughter. We have a familiar core signature, those who share your blood, which means that we’re keeping your core stabilized until we can find a way to fix Blake’s cock up.”

I just nodded and lost the fight to stay awake.   
….

Fergus was still with me when I woke again. I’d felt like I was falling and jerked myself awake. He was wearing a different shirt this go round and I wondered how long I’d been sleeping. To me it didn’t feel like that long because I was still groggy and my body yearned for more sleep.

  
“Nay, lass, don’t ya go back to sleep,” Fergus gently tapped my cheek to keep my eyes open “we need to get some liquids in you before those healer-folk decided to get what they’ve planned underway.” 

He called Jubilee then, the little elf looked worn out and her tunic was rumpled with a few stains. Her big ears drooped and she was muttering about things she’d like to do to Fraser if she had the chance which continued until she saw I was awake. She was ecstatic to help. Fergus sat me up and Jubilee put the cup of cold water to my lips. 

I drank as much as they’d let me have but was still feeling a little parched when Jubilee took the glass away. Great divines, I felt weak. This time Fergus let me go back to sleep. He re-covered me with a blanket that’d fallen to the floor when they’d sat me up. I was out within seconds.   
….

This whole feeling weak was getting old and getting old very quickly. The only not getting old was the changing of the guard for held my hand. When I woke, two more times since Fergus had given me water, I found Aunt Cissy holding my hand. She liked fit to murder a person. Normally, she’s the sneaky kind, the cunning bit of Slytherin fit her perfectly but at the moment she looked like she wanted to charge full-bore. 

“You’re going to get angry lines,” I offered feebly, I was so exhausted “if you keep up frowning like that.”

Aunt Cissy’s grip on my hand tightened as her eyes water “shush, little niece, I can look angry if I want.”

I shrugged “fair enough,” my words were slow “when did you get here?”

“Last night,” Aunt Cissy frowned, her brows crinkling “you look so pale, Athena.”

I chuckled weakly “I’m betting that Fraser looks…worse right about…now, doesn’t…he?”

The door to the study opened before Aunt Cissy could confirm or deny that statement. In came Gran, Lucile, Aunt Andy and her co-worker Strout, Nym, Bridget and another woman I’d never meant before. Fergus must have left already and Fraser too if he were smart. 

“Is it ladies night?” I asked half-heartedly “is there a party? Give me five…minutes and I’ll be…hmm, I’ll be ready to go.”

Aunt Andy knelt down beside my head next to her sister and gently swept my bangs back “No need to go anywhere, Athena, the party is right here,” she said softly “I know you’re strong and I need you to continue to be strong, okay?”

I smiled at her “only if I get to be...sarcastic along…the way, no fun…otherwise.” I had to pause to keep from yawning, I could hear Nym’s smirk.

“That’ll be alright,” Aunt Andy nodded “we have to go back to the memory that’s hurting you, Athena. Fraser’s curse is still doing damage there, manifesting itself and feeding off your magic.”

“Rotten tosser,” I remarked then asked “where’s Kaylee? Shouldn’t she be here too?”  
  
“She wanted too, sweetie,” Aunt Andy shook her head “but she’s back America at the moment.”

I swallowed hard “just like before…so, let’s go, yea?”

Aunt Andy and Cissy stood then, Andy nodding to Gran and the other women. Aunt Cissy never let go of my hand as the couch I was on was levitated and moved into the center of the room. The cough vibrated a little when Gran transfigured it into a waist height, padded table. 

The woman I didn’t know came to my free side and leaned over the table so I could see her better “hello, Miss Black, I am Madam Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I’m here to supervise in case you actually physically perform magic during this treatment. I am here for your protection so you don’t get expelled from Hogwarts.”

I smiled sleepily “you’re Suzie’s aunt,” I mused “she said you liked…the chocolate caldrons I got her…for Christmas more than she did.” 

Madam Bones smiled back “she was very happily surprised that you’d gotten her something. You are going to beat this, you hear?” she ordered as she put my wand in my hand “I don’t want my niece to lose a friend.” 

“I can see why…Nym is scared…of you,” I said sleepily “and really…respects you.”

I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. For a second it felt like I was floating, like that time when Kaylee and the Amazons took me swimming in the Mediterranean. We’d gone down to Corinth to see an underwater temple, the temple itself was under the water but no water inside the temple of Poseidon, his priest had information that was needed at the time. 

My peaceful and very relaxing float was interrupted by those soft tendrils that belonged to Lucile. She was dragging me from the Amazon memory and pulling to where I needed to be. The mind-healer was taking me back to Miss Abby but she was skipping parts. Lucile re-started the memory where Miss Abby was unchaining me from the pipes.

Before the memory started I heard Lucile whisper to me “you can fight back this time, you must defeat her, and you have the means to fight back this time.”

  
_…I felt sick as I watched the Haitian woman; or was she Cajun? I had no idea and it didn’t really matter after I had just watched her dispose of what was left of the front desk man’s body with a flick of her hand. A swarm of shadows had descended upon it and left nothing but bones._

_“Dat the power of spirits, ti cheri mwen,” Miss Abby smirked as she sauntered her way over from the butcher table “about time that you found this out first hand, pitit.”_

_When she was close enough to catch me if I fled, Miss Abby flicked her hand again and released my bonds. This time, though, I had my wand with me, I knew I could fight back. I knew how much it’d hurt to have my soul ripped free and I wasn’t going to experience that a second time without one hell of a fight._

_I hit her with a knockback jinx, it created enough space to let me escape from the corner I was in because staying there was a death trap. There were some crates across the room that I could take cover behind and they weren’t anywhere near that cage of doom. Seriously, when I sprinted by the thing I could feel it pulling at me._

_“This is not how this happened the first time, pitit!” the Haitian woman called darkly “you know you can’t change da past, ti cheri mwen. You come to Miss Abby and we’ll fix this to the way it happened!”_

_“You can go fuck yourself, too,” I shouted back “you were the big bad monster when I was eight years old, I’m not quite that young anymore! I can fight back now!”_

_Miss Abby’s laugh echoed through the room “oh, pitit, my dear pitit, I will always be your bogeyman, that is the power I have over you,” she called to me, she was moving closer to me “you have no defense against me,” she said with a sickly sweet tone “there is no spell, no weapon that can defeat me. I’ve become part of you.”_

_Her words were starting to plant the seeds of doubt. How could I defeat myself? How could I win this if I was fighting my own magic? I was running through all the spells I knew. Not a one of them was meant for this; expect…maybe…_

_I stepped around the crates, Miss Abby wasn’t too far from me when I raised my wand and yelled “_ incendio _!”_

_A ball of orange flame shot out of the end of my wand and hit Miss Abby square in the chest. She screamed and started patting at her chest to put out her burning clothes, cursing again when I shoved the tower of crates over on to her; the fire grew bigger. While she was burning I escaped back to the other side of the room._

‘That’s not enough,’ _I heard Lucile’s voice echo through the room_ ‘you need something more powerful.’

_I scowled as I shoved the butcher table over, bloodied side away from me and started searching my brain again but there was nothing. A growl of frustration left me and I wished that it was more than me here. I needed something more powerful…wait, there was something but I’d never cast it before. I knew the general theory behind it but that didn’t mean much. Just because you know the general theory about sailing doesn’t mean you should take a sailboat out at on the open seas._

_What did the book say? Maybe it was like pixie dust…nope, that was fairy dust…from Peter Pan that happy thoughts makes the flying work. Miss Abby was thrashing her way out of the burning mess of crates and she sounded livid. There was more creole words that I understood, though to be fair I didn’t know any._

_I thought hard and the first thing that came to mind was this past Christmas at the Tonks house when Nym had me up on her shoulders and had just finished spinning me. It made me smile to think because I’d felt loved and at home. Gran was there with Aunt Bridget and Kaylee too with Uncle Ted off somewhere in the house as well. Holding that in mind I stood and shouted “_ expecto patronum _!” with my wand pointed towards the scorched madwoman coming at me._

_There must have been something different about being in my head because it worked. A large bird, a hawk I think, burst from my wand and screamed its challenge as it flew towards the voodoo priestess. The same priestess who threw up her hands and screamed as the silver-blue bird attacked with talons extended.  
_

_It didn’t stop until Miss Abby was dead and then it attacked the chain-linked cage. The bird tore through it like a hot knife through butter. Grabbing a hold of it with its talons and pulling chunks chain and hair away until the thing was in ruins; scattered across the room. Then it gave one last caw cry and vanished._  
…   
My eyes snapped open and I gasped for breathe, coughing as it filled my lungs too quickly. I choked on air as I tried sitting up at the same time. Aunt Andy and Gran were there to help me up and stay sitting up, both gently rubbing my back until I could breathe properly. The weakness, the numbness and that feeling of treading quicksand was gone. 

“That so totally and majorly sucked! Let’s never to that again, yea?” I scowled, there were nods from the women around me as Gran kissed my temple. 

Madam Bones spoke first “did you, by chance,” the woman looked a little unsure as she asked “did you cast a patronus charm during that fight with the curse?”

I frowned at her “how did you know?”

Nym laughed and giggled my ankle “because cousin, you lifted your hand and cast one out here, in the physical world. An actual corporeal patronus, a large hawk to be exact.”

Looking around, gaping at this information, I got nods from all of them. Including Lucile, who was leaning back against Robert’s desk looking sweaty and worn out. I wasn’t sure what to do with this information. Casting a patronus charm was difficult for even full grown witches and wizards, some even four times my age. 

I looked to Madam Bones “would it be okay if I try and cast it out here, instead of in my head?” 

The department head quirked an eyebrow and asked “are you sure you feel up to it?”

“Meh…” I shrugged “only one way to find out,” I grinned weakly, conjuring that same image of Christmas in my head and raised my wand towards the empty part of the room “expecto patronum!”

We all gasped at the hawk that burst forth from my wand. It was huge, having to hunch over as it sat on top of one of the book shelves. The hawk eyed each of us, its gaze lingering on me before it bow its head and vanished. While that was very amazing it also left me very drained. 

“Can I take a nap now?” I asked with a huff and leaned into Gran, so very ready for a restful slumber.   
….  
I’d been under the effect of Fraser’s curse for five days, took over twice that to recover. It was weird in the fact that the electrical current had stimulated my muscles so I was stronger. It’d brought back to pre-Hogwarts state, but there was no physical damage…at all. However, I am never viewing this as a viable workout. 

Aunt Andy and Healer Strout were worried about tissue damage, muscles injuries, cardiac arrhythmia (where my heart would started beating differently), burns and neurological problems. Basically everything that would come with stuck by lightning. Not a very nice outcome for those muggles who do get hit because most of that doesn’t go away if, even if you are receiving treatment; witches and wizards are a bit more lucky. 

In my case, it was my magic that was protecting me and working double duty against both the effects of the curse and the curse itself trying to take root. I really don’t even want to think about what would have happened if I’d lost and no one else was saying. Probably best to stay that way. 

Also being kept a lid on was what was being done to Fraser. I actually did want to know this, morbid curiosity as it were. If he was dead then I wanted the honor of poking him with a stick as a finial ‘ha! Fuck you, you asshole’. However, Gran confirmed that neither was the man dead nor was he in Azkaban where he should be. 

As Gran explained when I asked “death, lass, means he’s no longer suffering and I kinda want him to suffer at the moment,” her eyes glinted dangerously “and Azkaban would require official charges, it’d be in the papers and it’d take time and even Amelia decided against that.” 

The only ones who seemed at all happy in any of this was the twins because I couldn’t run away. I repeat and they admitted to this, it was because...I Couldn’t Run Away! They were bookworms like Hermione, Gran and myself; they loved to talk. The twins loved a lot of things, I found out, but what they loved the most was learning but mostly for nefarious purposes. I was frightened by the prospect of these two meeting the Weasley twins; Fred and George were going be their idols. 

I had spent my recover with Gran, Bridget and the twins; mostly because of the fact that I didn’t want travel either through the floo or by apparition. Only Fergus owned a car; no way I was taking a bus back to London. Lucile went home early because of what the toll the healing had had on her; I did give her a big, long hug and did say thank you before she left. 

The whole situation ended up pushing summer plans back. Gran had already had to head back to Hogwarts for school letters and visiting incoming muggle-borns. This meant that the tour she had planned would have to be shortened and we wouldn’t get to see all the places she’d wanted to visit. That was alright because for a while there the most I felt like doing, and the twins were very eager to help where they could, was to move about the house slowly, write letters (Harry still wasn’t responding), eat, sleep and read.   
  


 

 


	4. The end of that Three Hour Tour…

The middle of July (I think it was the middle, I’ve so lost track of time. At this point I’m not even sure what day it is) promised a visit form Nym and Gran taking a few days off so that she could finish off our Scottish tour. I’d been sitting out in the back garden with the twins waiting for Nym to arrive, discussing the various places in Scotland that we had to visit before I went back south; they’d made a list. Top two were Culloden and Loch Maree; it was a preserve of some kind or something like that. The twins are hard to understand when they get excited and start talking over themselves.   
When that happens, the excited talk, they general stop paying attention to me and wouldn’t even noticed me gone. So that’s why I was standing, having left the patio table and moving across the grass with my head down and concentrating on my steps when I was tackled. Drove the wind right out of me and I just lay there, arms out stretched, with a face full of fuzzy brown hair.

“Hullo, Hermione,” I wheezed as my friend moved to straddle my middle, her arms folded across her chest and her face about as red as mine “when’d you get here?”

“You almost died,” she hissed, her eyes narrowed in anger “and I have to hear about it in a causal letter?” the girl snapped, honestly it was quite scary “you’re precise wording was ‘Scotland’s been a blast, had my head examined and learned that Fraser cursed me; that almost ended badly’. What is wrong with you?!” 

I had to shield my head when Hermione started slapping at me, staying that way until she’d wore herself out and stopped. Letting my arms fall back to the side I grinned “nice to see you too, Myne,” I grinned I’d finally come with something, rising up on my elbows “that’s spelled m-y-n-e instead of the last part of your name bastardized. All in the spelling.” 

The girl glared at me before reaching out and pinching the end of my nose “don’t you ever do that again!” 

“Like I had a choice,” I scoffed as Hermione got off me and then offered me a hand “besides having to have recovery time, I actually feel better, thanks for asking,” Hermione just glowered at me with her eyes narrowing again before she turned and stomped back into the house and snappily shut the door behind her.

“Isn’t that chick supposed to be your friend?” Mal asked looking confused 

I shrugged my shoulders “meh…friendships are complicated, you got lucky because yours was born three minutes and fifty second behind you,” I chuckled when Izzy glared at me, she didn’t like to be reminded that she was younger.   
…  
I left the twins to their planning, hoping that it didn’t involve something drastic or some kind of mythical creature. Slowly I continued my way inside, Nym and Aunt Andy were sitting at the kitchen table with Bridget. In the last few weeks, Aunt Andy had dropped to half hours at St. Mungo’s so that she could deal with family business. This gave her more time to check up on me as well. 

“Hermione hurt you with that tackle?” Bridget asked looking amused 

“Meh…” I shrugged and said before passing through the kitchen “could have been worse, I mean I’m not as sore as I was yesterday and I got my breath back quicker so that answer it; not really.”

Upstairs I found Hermione helping Jubilee unpack her backpack, Hermione had decided to share a room with me. Actually what I found was hilarious. Hermione was trying to help but the little elf was holding the clothes just out of reach, bouncing about and slapping at Hermione’s hands. They were bickering about who was supposed to do what. I wish Hermione would learn that there are just some battles you lose from the start. I spoke up when they started slapping at each other

“Don’t make me separate you!” I called in my best impression of Gran’s stern tone, both combatants jumped apart and waited for more chastisement “bah! That was awesome!”

“Why you…” Hermione shook a finger at me while Jubilee merely stuck her tongue out and kept working. 

I held up my hands for peace “did you want to keep slap fighting with Jubilee over putting away clothes?” Hermione huffed and growled a little when she noticed that Jubilee has finished the task already “so, Myne, would you like to see Robert’s Office?” I asked tilting my head to the side “maybe books will improve your mood?”  
I could see that Hermione was going to say something else but just shook her head and biting at her lip “more books than here?” she asked pointing to the bookshelves across the room from her.

“Not really,” I shook my head “but he has…err, has had…had had…whatever, there are more spell books from around the world in his office.”  
Hermione nodded her busy head “fine,” she huffed “but I want to know what exactly happened with this ‘head examine’ and really happened.”

That’s how I found myself in Robert’s office, with tea and little pastries from Jubilee, explaining everything that had happened. It was easier to talk about now. I mean what happened with Quirrell and I couldn’t remember if I’d talked at all with Hermione about it; by the way she frowned a lot I’m going to say that I was right. 

“I knew you were having nightmares the last few days of term,” Hermione shook her head “I didn’t know it was that bad.”

“Meh…I would have gotten over it sooner or later. Honestly, I’m a little worried about Harry. I mean, he saw everything I did and experienced what I experienced once I got there,” I picked at the arm rest of the plush chair I was sitting in “I just wish the git would write me back!”

Hermione quirked an eyebrow at that “he’s not writing you either?” she asked “I thought that was just me and Ron he was avoiding.”

I felt my brows crinkle at that “he’s not writing you either?” that wasn’t good “is Leo getting there?” I asked, Leonidas was a good owl and never failed to deliver a letter for Hermione “does he come back with your letters still attached?”

Hermione shook her head “no, it’s like he made his delivery but it’s just like Harry isn’t writing back.”

“Gorgo is like that as well,” I frowned “though I haven’t been giving it much thought given recent events. Facing a Scottish cursed Haitian voodoo memory takes a lot out of you.”

“What?” Hermione looked thoroughly confused by that.   
….  
When Gran arrived back that night she was tired, I know this because she greeted even Hermione and Nym with hugs and a kiss on the cheek. The twins and I couldn’t help but giggle at the shades of red the two girls turned and Gran didn’t even notice as she handed Bridget four envelopes. It was our school letters and it helped to bring Hermione and Nym out of their blushing dazes. 

The green ink had barely dried on my letter and I frowned when I saw what was on the required texts list “how the hell is dumb enough to require reading from Gilderoy Lock-brain?” I demanded, very upset by this “the man is a damn fraud!”

“Athena!” Bridget chided “language but I do agree,” She said looking over Izzy’s list “and all seven books, why is there not a Standard Defense against the Dark Arts; Year One on here? Our headmaster would be for having that department head in for stern talk.”

“Wait,” Hermione frowned “what do you mean Lockhart is a fraud?” 

I rolled my eyes “you pronounced it wrong, Myne, its Lock-brain,” I pointed out her error, free of charge too “I know he’s a fraud. When you hang out with the hard core monster hunters like Fraser did, you tend to hear stories. Also, I’m pretty sure that Fraser knew the man who actually did the things in Year with a Yeti or whatever that name is. Bloke was crazy but carried supplies up to some of those remote temples,” I frowned “Fraser said the altitude finally did him in, went senile or something.”

Hermione’s frown persisted “that doesn’t mean he’s a fraud!”

“Yes, it does, never once did I hear little stories about the man when the hunters would get together,” I pointed out, well…argued, actually “those guys are always telling stories on one another because they all know each other because there’s so few of them these days. If Lock-brain was as active as his writings suggests then I would have heard of him doing something other than what’s in his books. Some smaller story not big enough for a book.”  
Nym nudged Hermione to stop the argument “she makes sense, Hermione.”

Hermione turned her nose up with her lips pursed and her arms across her chest “well, I like him! I think he’s a wonderful wizard and that publishers would have looked into if he was plagiarizing or not!”

With that she stomped her way out of the room and up the stairs. She passed by a surprised and confused Gran, who’d switched out her robes for more comfortable sweats. Gran quirked an eyebrow when Hermione slammed the bedroom door. She sat down at the table in Hermione’s vacant spot. 

“What’s wrong with Miss Granger?” she asked tiredly 

I held up my Hogwarts letter “Gilderglow Lock-brain,” Bridget sniggered at the name “who’d chose this idiot? There’s no spell books or creature book anywhere in this list. I’m likely to think that you’ve missed a page, Gran.”

Gran shook her head “I really wish that I had, lass, might make this headache I have worth it,” she scowled a little “that’s what every year looks like for DADA. I have no idea why Albus is allowing this because, quite frankly, it’s appalling! Most of the books are just posturing and you have to pick for the good information!”

“And that right there is much nicer than what I said,” I grinned at Gran “that’s why Hermione walked away because I called the man a fraud and explained why.”

“I worry about you, lass,” Gran shook her head “I really do, however right you may be, I still worry,” she sighed heavily and then paused “wait…did you just call him Gilderglow?”  
…  
Hermione refused to talk to for the rest of the night, she’d barricaded herself in whatever book she’d found from somewhere. That was alright, at least she was entertained. However, I did have the sickly feeling that she might actually like Gliderglow Lock-brain. I went to sleep early that night, right after dinner, with Forge between me and Hermione on the big bed; I cuddle in my sleep and didn’t want that to be weird for Hermione. 

Gran woke us early the next morning. She wanted an early start to the day so we could see as much as possible. Hermione was sitting up before Gran moved around the bed to prod me a second time and to give a threat of water usage if she had to come back a third time. I grumbled while Hermione collected her clothes for the day and headed off to the bathroom, I changed in the walk in closet in case she came back earlier or I was slow to dress. 

I was still yawning even after breakfast was over and the three older women were herding us towards the owl post. Gran decided that it was easier to hop a portkey to Inverness and then apparate about; in reality it was just easier on me because apparition would have made me sick. The portkey took us to Inverness’s number three owl post near St. Andrew’s Cathedral on the River Ness…let the tourist play begin. 

We took a bus, visited a museum…got a trinket. We took a bus, visited the Titanic museum…got a trinket. We took a bus, visited the Urquarhart Castle (the twins insisted because it’d been Granddad’s last night but no relation to the castle)…didn’t get a trinket. We took a bus, visited Craig Phadeig (an old stronghold for Pictish kings)…took a walk through a forest and didn’t get a trinket. We apparated to Craigh nu Dun, it’s a circle of standing stones…saw some flittering and sparkly fairies. 

We apparated again, to…well, near Culloden Battlefield and Visitor Center, cared for by the National Trust for Scotland. This one had a very different feel to it; for one, I was busy being sick in the bushes because apparition was still messing with the settlement of my stomach. Even if Gran was a very smooth apparator.  
For the second; there was a very somber mood about the place. A natural hush that even the twins were loathed to break. It felt wrong in a way to speak louder than a hushed whisper as we made our way through the visitor center. There was a wax statue of Bonnie Prince Charlie and little bits of metal (buckles, bayonets, a very badly rusted basket hilted broad sword and a broken claymore) and there was even a musket on display. 

Outside the visitor center was the walk amongst the clan stones. The Battle of Culloden had marked the end of the Highlanders, the end of tradition Scottish ways. Tartans were no longer permitted, Scots were not allowed more than one musket per household if that and no swords.   
A lot of family heirlooms were secreted away if the family wasn’t pushed off their lands and deported to the colonies. They even had their religion taken away, Catholicism. This was all thanks to Bonnie Prince Charlie trying to reclaim the Stewart throne from the Hanoverian King George II.   
Gran led us to certain markers, each stone had a clan name on it and that’s where those men and women who’d died and been known were buried. So many clans, including the Ross and McGonagall clans. To my surprise, I had wondered off a bit while being quiet and curious, I found a stone different from the others. This one was a pure black chunk of obsidian with Black carved into with the word painted white. 

“Of course they’d paint the Black white,” I smirked softly and shook my head “I do like this.”

“There’s only one Black buried there,” a mature feminine voice with Boston twang said from beside me “he as a fierce captain who sent his men home. He knew, like a few others, that Culloden Moor was not the place for a battle. Flat lands, broadswords and hunting muskets with ill trained men up against the might of British army. Every man of them trained and accompanied by artillery and better made muskets.”

“Then why even fight it?” I asked confused and looked over at the woman who’d spoke “whoa, you’re tall,” the woman chuckled but she really was tall, with blue eyes and deep red hair; she was diffidently in her thirties to middle-aged. She had to be over six feet, I bet she was taller than most men “I bet you could look my Gran in the eyes and there’s not many who can. Do you ever get tired of being asked to get things off the high shelves? Is the tallness a hindrance with clumsiness? I’m just wondering because my father was tall like my Gran is, therefore I might inherit that. I don’t want to be clumsy.”

The woman laughed softly, still not breaking the hush of the field “slow down, girl, before you hurt yourself with all the questions,” she gently patted me on the shoulder “firstly, no, I don’t get tired of being able to get things off high shelves, helps hide the cookies from my children and sometimes my husband. Sometimes I can be clumsy but that’s not indicative of being tall, just of being me.”

I let out a sigh of relief and held out my hand towards her “Athena –ridiculous middle name- Black, thank you for answering my questions, except for the one about why someone would want to fight here if the conditions were not in one’s favor…or did the British choose the battlegrounds?”

“Brianna McKenzie,” the woman shook my hand and gave me an appraising look, like she was trying to figure something out “nice to meet you, is that your family’s stone there?”

I let her hand go “I believe so,” I shrugged looking back to the stone “my Grans said that there were some on my mum’s side who’d fought here or that Culloden hadn’t gone well for them and that headship of the family transferred down to London after that,” I hummed softly thinking about it before turning back to the woman “I saw a McKenzie stone earlier,” I said “is that your relation?” 

The woman nodded and looked towards where a tall, seriously tall, man (he had short black hair and a nice tan) stood with tall young man, and two teenaged girls about my age “my husband’s family actually. My family is the Frasers,” I rose up an eyebrow that as the woman (I’d feel bad for her if she was related to Blake Fraser) nodded towards the stone closest to the black one. 

“Athena,” Gran had caught up with me, she came to stand behind me with her hands on my shoulders (ha! I was right, she and Brianna could look each other in the eyes) “you make a friend?” Gran asked softly looking down at me. 

“Yep,” I looked from her to Brianna “Gran, this is Brianna McKenzie, fellow lover of history. Fellow lover of history, or so I’m assuming, this is my Gran, Minerva McGonagall.”

“You assume correctly,” Brianna smiled as she shook Gran’s hand “my father wrote books about it,” Brianna stopped as she let Gran’s hand go and asked tentatively “are you by chance Professor McGonagall, of Hogwarts? Professor Holmes’s mother?”

Gran looked mildly surprised “I am,” she said carefully.

Brianna smiled again, glancing around but there was really only her family and our about before saying “my older children attend Ilvermorny like I did,” she explained “and my husband attended Hogwarts and that’s where my youngest wants to go.”

“I see,” Gran nodded “if your youngest does choose Hogwarts then I will be happy to have them in class.”

“Minerva McGonagall?” a deep voice asked, it was Brianna’s husband come over from his family stone with his children. He had a Scottish accent and loomed over his wife by like three inches “what a surprise to see you here,” he held his hand out “a very pleasant surprise.”

“Roger Wakefield,” Gran smiled at him and happily shook his hand “I see that you’ve done well for yourself.”

He nodded “I go by McKenzie now, Minerva, and yes I have,” he chuckled and glanced at me “you must be Robert’s daughter? Aye?” he asked and Gran nodded “I worked with him a bit, on the history of things and I went to school with your Gran for a while, she was a sixth year when I was a first,” he explained to me “your da was a good research and a fair hand at putting words to paper,” then he looked back up to Gran “Minerva, I’d like you to meet my children,” he looked to the young man first “this is Jeremiah, he graduated Ilvermorny two years ago,” he moved on to the older girl “this is Amanda, she will be her third year there,” a tender smile bloomed on his face “and this wee one, is Anabel but we call her Annie. She wants to go to Hogwarts like her Da did.”

“Mrs. McKenzie already mentioned that,” Gran commented and nodded to the little dark haired girl with blue eyes “I would love to see your daughter in my class if she’s as well behaved and as studious as her father. My younger grandchildren are starting their first year at Hogwarts, they’re here now if you’d like to meet them?”

“Can I, Da?” Annie asked tugging on her father’s coat “then I’ll know someone at school.”

He sighed as he looked down at her and relented “alright, my wee, bonny girl, we can take the Professor up on her offer.”   
…  
Our conversation moved from the path amongst the stones to some picnic tables that were out in front of the visitor center. The two older McKenzie children were let to go back to the little memorabilia shop while their parents chatted with Gran and their younger sibling made friends with the twins. The older two were both surprised and a little red (also very eager to get away from the tables) to find their Charms professor with the other half of our group.

Hermione and Nym were in on the conversation at hand and I was using my arms for pillows. The day’s activities had caught up with me and I just wanted a nap and some snacks. Lunch had gotten away from me and dinner was still two or so hours away. I was falling asleep there at the table when Hermione started poking my shoulder.

“Stop it,” I grumbled half way asleep “there’s no exams today, Myne, I want a lie in.”

“She okay?” Brianna asked sounding concerned 

Gran answered “she was a bit under the weather recently and still recovering. Perhaps we over did it today, I wanted to show to show off Scotland but I have duties at school to take care of.” 

“Then perhaps it’s best we if we let you be, Min,” Roger said “perhaps we can catch up another time.” 

Hermione poked me again so I could say a proper goodbye to the McKenzie family “seriously Myne, I’m not that doughy-thing-creature from the telly pushing dinner rolls, no poking!” 

I heard my friend chuckled and whisper as she leaned in close near my ear “if you don’t wake up, Whiskers, you’ll miss telling your new friends goodbye and that’d be rude.”

In somewhat compliance, I just lifted one hand up off the table, waggled it unsteadily side-to-side and called “goodbye, very tall people! Fortune cookie say: watch for low doors,” they must not have been offended because I heard them both laugh.

“Goodbye, Athena, I hope you better soon.” Brianna patted me on the shoulder before she and her family headed for their car.   
…   
Gran apparated with me back to the house in Castletown while the others followed along shortly. She led me up stairs to mine and Hermione’s shared room; laying me down on top of the covers and found an extra blanket to cover me up with. Not that I really cared because I was already out; I was going to be so glad when this was finally over. 

Jubilee woke me for dinner, leading by the hand to the dinner table. It is so hard to eat when you’re half asleep and get frustrated easily which is why Jubilee made a dinner that didn’t require silverware to eat it. Divines bless that little elf and the pitas she made.   
…  
Nym took Hermione and I back to London the next morning. Gran and Bridget decided that they’d save Loch Maree for another day because I’d headed back to bed after dinner was over. Magical exhaustion was not fun and it made me miss out on magical islands with fairies, otters and merfolk. Mrs. Granger greeted Hermione and me with big hugs, then she preceded to worry over me to Hermione’s amusement. The woman had been over visiting Aunt Andy, waiting for us to return and were surprised when we presented them with our school letters. Aunt Andy motioned us to sit at the table and Jubilee took this as the chance to feed me again. 

“Another trip to Diagon,” Aunt Andy sighed looking over the list “oh, I almost feel sorry for the Weasley’s, five sets of these books isn’t going to come cheap.”

“Cow wee yelp em?” I asked through a mouth full of food. 

Mrs. Granger smacked me upside the head “that’s disgusting, Athena, please show some table manners.”

“Sorry, Mrs. G,” I apologized after swallowing “I was just wondering if we can help them somehow?”

Hermione beamed at that “I like that idea,” she deflated a bit though “they won’t want to take charity though.”

“We’ll think in it,” Aunt Andy said reaching across the table to ruffle my hair “so, kiddo, now that your back there are some Black family business we need to attend to.”

“But I almost died!” I whined, frowning at her as I pushed away my now clean plate “I almost died!” I drew out the words “I didn’t get my sword and I missed out on an island of nice magical creatures who would normally tear your face off, and I need a haircut,” I argued “that deserves a break!” 

Aunt Andy snorted “you’re better now,” she said flatly “and I’m tired of hearing my sister drone about your lessons and Grimmauld Place. She thinks if we get it clean and restored properly it can be your residence when you move out of here,” she just rolled her eyes at this “also, Nym can live there without having to pay rent.”

“Plus, it’ll give you and Hermione something to do for the rest of the summer,” Mrs. Granger added, fully versed on the whole situation “besides read books and drool over schoolwork.”

“Mum!” Hermione protested the teasing tone. 

Nym chuckled “you two can always see if Harry wants to help, it’d get him away from his relatives.”

“Oh, I like that,” I grinned at the suggestion “what ya think, Myne?” the girl fidgeted and I raised an eyebrow at her “what did you do?”

She frowned “while you were sleeping last time, I got an owl from Ronald,” Hermione explained “should get them a new bird while we’re at it, ruddy thing, however, he said that if didn’t hear from Harry by his birthday then he and the twins were going mount a rescue mission. Harry’s birthday was four days.”

“I missed Harry’s birthday…its bloody August?” I gaped and demanded “what happened to July?!”

Nym nudged me and offered “you almost died and then had to recover; you slept a lot last month.” 

I just blinked at my cousin in disbelief “well someone should have woken me up!” I declared getting up from the table “come on, Nym, we’ve someplace to be.” 

I grabbed Nym by the hand and pulled her from the table. There were questions tossed towards me as I pulled the older witch towards the back garden. Nym frowned when I asked her to apparate us to Number 4, Privet Drive, Little Whinging in Surrey. She smacked me when I told her that taxis don’t look dumbfounded.


	5. Solicitors, Gnomes and a trip to the Burrow…oh my!

Nym landed us at the owl post two streets over from Privet Drive. The whole place felt like a biscuit-cutter job, all the houses lined up neatly with the same design. Only thing that differed about them were the front lawns and the numbers on the streets and doors. Nym put a hand on my shoulder when we found a police car out front of Number 4. 

“Better let me do the talking,” Nym said firmly before taking the lead up the walk and rug the bell. 

A willowy woman with a drawn face and overly flowery grown answered the door “yes?” 

“Good morning, Madam,” Nym smiled at the woman who was eyeing her pink hair “My name is Nymphadora Tonks, I was wondering if my cousin and I could have a moment of your time.”

The woman’s beady eyes flashed to me and then back to Nym “I’m not buying anything today, dears. Better luck at the next house.”

She moved to shut the door but Nym stopped her “wait, we’re not selling anything,” she held the door open “we’re actually looking for Harry Potter. My cousin goes to school with him and we wanted to invite him round to our place for the rest of the summer. Get him out of your hair for a while.”

There was a scowl as the woman stated crossly “the boy’s not here, he ran away and we don’t want him back!”

“Wait,” I called sneaking under Nym’s arm “what do you mean he ran away? Harry’s supposed to be here!” 

“The little freak’s not here!” Petunia Dursley hissed lowly leaning down towards me “and he’s not welcomed back!” she snarled leaning down towards me “him and those…those vandals in that flying car destroyed part of our home and nearly killed my husband!” boy, was she close to livid “he comes back here and I’ll see him arrested and exposed for the abomination you lot are. I will not have that…that freakish delinquent endanger my family.” 

I spoke without really thinking, I didn’t like the way she was speaking about Harry. It was dragging up to many of my own memories “my uncle’s a solicitor if you want to give up custody, his firm is Cromwell, Lovett and Murphy. They’ve got adverts all over the telly.” 

That stopped Petunia, her eyes narrowed to narrow slits “you want us to give up the boy?”

Nym was smacking me as I said “he’d never have to come back here,” that piqued the woman’s interest “you’d be rid of the magical world.”

“Who’s at the door, love?” a heavy and gruff voice called from inside the house

Petunia straightened up “just a moment, dear!” she called sweetly and looked back towards us “fine but I want this done by tomorrow. I’ll deal with the police; but if you’re lying, little girl…”

“Don’t threaten me, Mrs. Dursley,” I told her calmly and looked her dead in the eyes “I’ve seen more frightening things than you in my short life,” that took her back a few paces “my uncle’s name is Edward Tonks. He works out of the Canary Wharf offices, you can find his number in the yellow pages. Good day, Mrs. Dursley.” 

I turned as the woman pulled back and shut the door. Nym was glaring at my back as I marched back towards the owl post. The older girl with the longer legs caught me at the end of the street. She grabbed my arm and whipped me around. 

“What were you thinking?” she demanded, struggling to keep her hair its current color “you can’t just do that without talking with to the responsible parties, like my father!” 

“Where do you think we’re headed next?” I demanded right back at her “didn’t you hear what she was saying about him? She didn’t even fight for him!”

“She’s not Fraser, Athena!” Nym cried 

That tripped my temper “no, she’s worse,” I growled “at least he feed me, kept me safe and taught me…mostly. She starves Harry, treats him no better than a slave and probably beats him too!” my whole body was rigid with anger “she calls him names, degrades him and his parents and paints his a criminal with a barbwire brush! I know what most of that is like!” I shouted at her “no one should have to go through that! So fuck you if you can’t help…”

Nym stopped me with her hand over my mouth, her posture had softened “I’m sorry, Athena, I shouldn’t have said that. My anger wasn’t at you, it was at her for what she’d said,” Nym apologized, moving her hand from my mouth and wiped away the angry tears that were slipping down my cheeks “you were just looking out for Harry’s best interest; I understand that and I will help you and him however I can. Okay?”

I just nodded and threw my arms around the older girl. Nym held the embrace for a long while but ended it saying that we needed to catch her dad before he went on his lunch break. We did a quick jog to the owl post station so we could apparate safely without being seen.

Cromwell, Lovett and Murphy was a firm that worked in both worlds and had offices in three countries while currently working on a fourth. They had three branches in London and a dozen total all over the UK. To say they were good at what they was an understatement. Uncle Ted was a senior partner and worked on the third floor of the main branch on Canary Wharf. It was the only floor that muggles didn’t have access to. 

Nym apparated us directly to the third floor apparition site and the girl at the desk under the firm’s didn’t blink at the ‘pop’ we’d made. Just started at us as Nym steadied me before making her way over to the receptionist.

“Hello, Miss Krieger, how are you?”

“Alright, Miss Tonks,” she smiled politely at Nym “what can I do for you today?”

Nym pulled me to her side “my cousin here hasn’t gotten to see were Dad works and we just returned from Scotland and thought we’d surprise him,” she sidestepped the truth “is he in by chance?”

Miss Krieger looked at something on her desk “looks like his in and he has no meetings that I’m aware of. Go on head.”  
…..  
Uncle Ted’s office door was open and his personal secretary just waved us on in with a smile. He was sitting at his desk looking over a stack of parchment papers, a forgotten quill in his hand. There were rimless, oval shaped reading glasses perched delicately on the bridge of his nose. For some reason, the highly muscled man didn’t seem at all out of place doing this. 

He looked up when Nym knocked on his door “girls,” he called with a smile, his face lighting up “I’d forgotten you were coming home today,” he sighed as he laid aside his quill and glasses, coming over to greet us halfway across his office “how are you feeling, Athena?” he asked after giving me a very tight hug.

“Meh…” I shrugged my shoulders “better than before, I just wish the tiredness would go away already.”

He smiled softly “it should soon enough,” he kissed my forehead in a fatherly gesture before shooing us over to a fashionable couch by the large plate windows “so, what do I owe the honor of this visit?” he asked “just come to show Athena where I work or was there something you needed?”

“You tell him, it was your idea,” Nym said nudging me as she went to the cooler that hummed the corner of the room.

I smiled at Uncle Ted nervously “well, I may have done something that you may or may not agree with…” I trailed off, not sure how to explain this.   
Uncle Ted raised an eyebrow as he waited “well, I won’t know if you don’t tell me.”

“I may have just convinced Harry Potter’s guardians to give up custody of him to protect him,” I said squeezing my eyes tight waiting for him to explode angrily, when he didn’t I opened my eyes to find him still waiting for an explanation. The man looked amused more than anything “see, I lost track of time in Scotland and last Friday was Harry’s birthday. Damn…this means I missed Neville’s as well. I’m going to have to send him an owl…” I sighed heavily and shook my head “anyways, it was mentioned at the house that we should invite Harry over to help us with Grimmauld and for the rest of the summer…or so.”

“I see,” Uncle Ted nodded when I paused again, he was sitting on the arm of the couch watching me intently “go on.”

With a huge sigh I did as told “we went to his house, Privet Drive, to invite him over. Did that just moments after the suggestion was made, Nym playing taxi. She’s a good taxi.”

“And not getting paid for it,” Nym called “at this rate I’m never going to have days off again,” she smirked raising her cold butterbeer towards me “you’re lucky that Madam Bones likes you, kid.”

I shrugged “meh…anyways,” I looked back to Uncle Ted “it seems that the Weasley children, not sure which of the brood, but they drove a flying car to Little Whinging and rescued Harry. They destroyed part of the Dursley house and harmed Mr. Dursley somehow, I’m not really sure of the details; just what Mrs. Dursley hissed at us,”   
Uncle Ted looked mildly shocked at this tale “but they’d called the police on him to report him as a runaway and probably a few other things. If Harry goes back, they’ll have him arrested.”

Uncle Ted looked to Nym “and you were there for this?” he asked “not that I don’t believe you, Athena, I’m just having a hard time actually picturing this happening.”

Nym nodded as she grabbed another butterbeer from the cooler, bringing one over for me and Uncle Ted “yep, but little cousin just left out how Mrs. Dursley got in Athena’s face and called witches and wizards abominations and called Harry a freak several times. That’s when Athena dropped your name, Dad, and got the woman to agree to give up custody so she ever had to deal with ‘our lot’ again. They’re supposed to be here tomorrow.” 

“Thanks,” Uncle Ted took the cold, brown bottle and frowned “you know that Dumbledore placed Harry there, don’t you?”

“This would be like sending me back to living with Fraser,” I glared at him “except that Harry’s relatives are muggles.”

That made Uncle Ted straighten up and a fierce look passed through his brown eyes “right, that’s not going to happen,” he said in a deadly serious voice, his grip on the butterbeer tightening “Dumbledore be damned,” he paused for a second and smiled at me “you have a good heart, Athena. I’m very proud of you,” that made a happy feel swell in me and I beamed brightly “why don’t you two go visit Harry. I’m sure he’s still with the Weasleys being properly fed by Molly. I’ll need him here for this, Molly can come too if she’d like.”  
….  
The Burrow was almost exactly as the twins had described it; like it had once been a pigpen that’d been cobbled together using stones. Then someone had come along and started adding extra rooms around it before giving up on expanding and decided going up was the better choice. It was now several stories and put the Leaning Tower of Pisa to shame. The only way the thing was still standing was through the liberal use of gaffer’s tape and even more magic. 

Nym had brought us to a secluded spot just outside the Burrow’s fence where there’d been a sing planted that stated the name of the place. Much like the house, even the letters weren’t straight. I followed behind Nym, she’d been here before as she’d been great friends with Charlie, the second eldest. 

We went through the gate, up the well-meaning path that was missing a few paving stones, then up a short bit of stairs to one of those funny doors that, a Dutch door? The top and bottom could be opened separately and independently of each other. Nym gave a strong knock and then waited. 

“Mr. Weasley,” Nym greeted the man who’d opened the top of the door happily “good morning.”

“Good morning, Tonks,” the man with thinning red hair grinned then beamed when he saw me “and Miss Black as well. We haven’t been introduced but Tonks and the twins have told me quite a bit about you. Would you like to come in? Molly’s just put lunch on.”

“Oh, umm…we don’t want to intrude, Mr. Weasley…” Nym tried to wave him off as the man opened the door 

“You’re not!” he cried jovially and pulled Nym into his house, I quickly followed so not to be pulled on as well “we’ve enough space at the table if Ginny slides over a bit.”

The Burrow radiated loving care, from the various hand knitted things that covered every square inch of furniture that needed protecting to the care that’d put into keeping the house together. If the outside looked odd then the side had a very trippy vibe and I was liking it with its exposed pipes and winding stair case. I was even liking the weird clock on the wall with spoons for hands (each spoon had a picture of a family member who lived there on it) and destinations for where the numbers should be. Currently everyone was home. 

“Nymp…err…Tonks!” a portly woman with the common red hair trait of the Weasley family called from the kitchen area, she was grinning as she hurried over to give Nym a hug “how have you been, dear? Heard from Charlie lately?” 

Nym chuckled and shook her head “nah, the boy’s bad at the regular writing of letters,” she stepped back from the embrace “Mrs. Weasley, this is my cousin, Athena.”

“Hello, dear,” that was the only warning Mrs. Weasley gave before I was smothered in a hug, I was gasping for breath when she let me go and held me at arm’s length “the twins are quite fond of you, Ron not so much, but can’t win them all. How’s your summer been?”

“Been in Scotland and about perished, so it was great, how has yours…hey!” I protested when Nym smacked me “I was being honest! She asked!”

“It’s the way you make that line seem so normal like it should be in regular conversation,” Nym glared “stop that,” she was smiling politely when she looked back up at a concerned Mrs. Weasley “sorry about that but suffice it to say, that is a long story to explain. Is Harry here?” 

Mrs. Weasley blinked and then nodded, pointing further into the little kitchen “he’s at the table, you’re going to have to explain, though, Tonks. Just to give me piece of mind.”

I snuck out of Nym’s grip and headed for the table. Thus, leaving Nym to the explanation for which I’m sure I’d be smacked for if I told it the way I wanted it. I was grinning sneakily as I quietly slid into the chair next to an oblivious Harry and shushed the surprised looking twins, the little girl who must be Ginny and Percy with a finger to my lips. Ron was off somewhere else. 

“Ron, would you…ahh!” Harry squawked and startled the rest of the table as he looked over at me, apparently I’d taken Ron’s chair, then there was laughing “don’t do that, Athena!” Harry cried as he started smacking my shoulder “bout gave me a heart attack.”

“Least you know it’s properly working now,” I giggled, the smacked him back “that’s for not replying to any of the letters I sent you over the summer. What gives, Potter?”

“A house-elf named Dobby was trying to keep me from going back to Hogwarts, nearly succeeded,” Harry shrugged, I raised an eyebrow at that because I knew an elf named Dobby. Doubted it was the same one though “I like Jubilee better, though, she’s not crazy and doesn’t talk in riddles.”

I looked at Harry with a straight face, the eyebrow and asked “what exactly is your definition of crazy?”

“Yeah, Harry, come on speak up!” Fred cried as he slapped the table with his open hand 

“Oi!” and there was Ron “that’s my spot! What are you doing here, Black?” 

I looked over my shoulder to find a scowling Ron “visiting my friends, you just happen to live here and as for the chair, there’s one by Percy. Also, I’m cleaning up the mess you lot made last night. Quite the humdinger of consequences that.”

“What do you mean?” Harry asked hesitantly as Ron stomped his way over to the empty chair. 

I looked back to Harry “you’ve been reported as a dangerous runaway, Harry. Property damage and attacking your uncle, I’d would image those would be the charges. When Hermione mentioned that Ron had told her that he and the twins were going to rescue you, I went round to your place to see if you were still there. You’ve an invite to my place by the way, Harry,” I shrugged as Harry paled and gulped “your aunt and uncle had the police there, taking a statement I think.”

“Oh, bloody hell, I can’t go back there,” Harry held his head in his hands, his fingers clutching at his hair “they’ll have me put away.”

I slapped him on the shoulder “don’t worry too much about it, Harry, I’ve Uncle Ted on the case for you,” I grinned when he looked over at me questioningly “though you will have to meet him either today but definitely before tomorrow to get this all sorted. If you’re lucky, you’ll never have to go back to Number 4, Privet Drive.” 

“How’s that?” Harry and most of the table asked at once, only Ginny and Percy staying quiet 

“Told you, I’ve Uncle Ted working on it.” I just shrugged again 

“Seems like you told him, Athena,” Mr. Weasley wasn’t as happy as he’d been earlier as he sat down after creating a chair for Nym “if that loud ruckus was anything to go by,” I nodded “good, Harry, you and I will be making a visit to Ted Tonks’s office later today.”

“You should eat to build your strength back up, Athena,” Mrs. Weasley as standing beside me and just started putting sandwiches and chips on my plate.

“What?” Harry frowned, he and the twins demanded at the same time “what’s wrong, were you hurt?”

“Ha!” Nym cried when she saw the look of reluctance on my face “that’s what you get for being causal about it!”

“Fly a kite, Nym,” I said calmly “and,” I looked back to the rest of the table “I may have had a little run in with a bad memory,” I said very slowly and drawing out my words “Fraser may have cursed me when I was eight to forget a voudon priestess in Haiti and a mind-healer found it by accident and triggered it.”

“What’s voudon?” Ginny asked 

I smiled at her “that’s the voodoo they do down in Haiti and Louisiana,” I was trying to play it off if it wasn’t as bad. I really need to learn how to filter what’s in my brain and what comes out my mouth “any-who…”

“How bad was it?” Harry asked sounding concerned

“Meh…not very, I mean, I was down for a few days and I’m still regaining my magic and my physical strength…”

“She about died, Harry,” damn you, Nym! Said Nym was glaring at me “the curse almost killed her.”

“Thank you, you morbid Nancy!” I cried, Nym smirked at that and the elder Weasley’s looked very concerned “I was going to save that for later when we’re not trying to eat and I think I want a nap after this,” I glared at Nym, the wear of the traveling and the pace of current events was taking its toll “anything else you want to say?”

“Nope,” Nym shook her head “besides ‘eat’.”

I made to reply but Harry caught me in a hug with his arms around my neck “Harry,” I patted him on the back “you’re choking me!”

“Sorry,” the dark headed boy blushed “but, bad Athena!” he smacked me “you didn’t even write the twins about it!”

“I’ve been recovering!” I cried back, suffering the glares of the twins as well “seriously! I went to Scotland with Gran and she’s the one who brought in the mind healer!   
Oh, and Ginny,” I looked to the startled girl, startled that I’d address her directly “I’ve two cousins who’ll be starting Hogwarts with you, it’d be wickedly cool if you’d sit with us on the train.”

“McGonagall has more grandchildren than just you?” George asked looking surprised and a little confused “how?”

“Well…” I grinned “you see George, when…ow…” I muttered when Harry smacked me upside the head “why so violent?” I looked to Mrs. Weasley who was now trying not to smile “see what I’ve to put up with at school? Hmm?”

“I think you brought that on yourself, dear.” Mrs. Weasley chuckled 

“No sympathy these days,” I sighed dramatically “anyways, George, to answer your question without getting smacked, I do have an aunt and uncle on my father’s side. Fergus has three children, I believe, and they’re three to five years younger than me. Aunt Bridget has two sets of twins,” Fred and George quirked an eyebrow at this “please don’t corrupt the ones starting with Ginny. They’re nefarious and mischievous enough as it is. They got Jubilee to dress up as Snape…as SNAPE! With a wig and clothes she’d made herself.”

“You’re joking?” the twins asked as one “bet that was epic.”

I nodded, I’d taken a bit of the sandwich that’d been put on my plate, swallowing before saying “it was, she could have won a contest for bat-of-the-year,” I paused then when I caught the look on their faces “you’ve something planned, don’t you?”

“Ask us no questions, Athena, and we’ll tell you no lies,” the boys said with a hint of amusement and a dash of mischievousness.  
…  
Harry and Mr. Weasley left not long after lunch was over, Nym and I stayed a while at Mrs. Weasley’s insistence. She was worried that I’d get sick if I was apparated so soon after eating. The twins and Ginny kept me entertained though, while we waited.

Well, they kept themselves entertained at my expense by telling Ginny all about my one and only Quidditch game. The younger girl found their impressions of my catch and stupefied look wholly entertaining. Fred and George just laughed when I told them that they were supposed to be de-gnoming the garden. Wow, those gnomes have dirty mouths. I thought I cussed a lot but those little guys had me beat. Lovely grey potatoes of rage and stupidity. 

“Ever wonder if they like being tossed?” I asked as George caught the last one and gave it to me to fling. I sent the bugger flying “I mean, you said they all come up to have a watch, seeing their little potato friends go soaring. Maybe they think it’s a game?”

The twins gasped in horror “don’t say such a thing!” Fred said trying to be serious “I take great joy in hunting these things down, you know, and if it’s a game to them then it takes all the fun out of it for me.”

Hanging out with the Weasley’s did wondrous things to make me feel better. Except when Mrs. Weasley tried to smother me again with a bear hug when Nym announced it was time to go. Ron was glaring at me from his bed room window as Nym and I wanted back to the apparition spot. He’d been sulking since Harry’d left.


	6. Once More with Feeling…

I was more than surprised by Mrs. Weasley’s offer to help with our venture of cleaning out Grimmauld Place. That’s why she’d brought everyone over to the Tonks house; that’s why they were there so early. Even Aunt Andy was floored by the offer and hugged the redheaded woman in thanks, the offer was overwhelming for her. 

As the plan stood, according to Aunt Andy and with Nym’s help, we were able to procure two members (the Mr. Weasley would be on loan for the day as well) from the Dark Artifacts Office. They were a subunit of the DMLE and often pulled from Mr. Weasley’s department (Misuse of Muggle Artifacts) to make up numbers when needed for raids. We’d work with them to deal with the artifacts, any structural problems or pests would be dealt with by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Aunt Andy and Aunt Cissy would be there as well. 

The officials were supposed to pop by around ten then go with Aunt Andy to Number 12 to try and get in. Until then they arrived, we were left to organizing the supplies that Aunt Cissy had arrived with, she’d left Draco at home when Aunt Andy flooed her about needing more gloves and cleaning things; the whole Draco vs. Harry and Ron thing. 

I snuck away with Harry while everyone was busy, to show him his room that had once been Nym’s. Jubilee had spent the early morning decorating it for him and I’m sure she was fussing over his clothes that Harry was growing out of. Some of Nym’s old things stayed, the furniture that was in good repair, the desk in the corner and the bed. The walls were now gold and russet red instead of the yellow and black of Hufflepuff. The Quidditch posters were the same though. 

“Can I ask you something?” Harry asked, he was looking through the clothes that Jubilee had decided he needed to keep “why are you and Hermione best mates again? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I like the fact that my friends are friends again and I guess this goes for me too, but I thought you two were on a ‘friendship break’? Did you lot talk it out?”

“Nope,” I was sitting at the desk “Fraser sort of put that conversation right out the window. Hermione and the Grangers left for Cardiff right after school ended and I hung around here for three weeks; writing everyone letters. Then went north and then my head went screwy.”

Harry frowned, sitting on the end of his bed “but you’re acting like nothing happened, with her, I mean, and with me,” he hung his head a little “we lied to you after we promised not to. We let Ron convince us that you were untrustworthy.”

“You think that now?” I asked tilting my head at him, calm as ever “do you believe me to be out to get you?”

“No,” Harry snapped looking up at me “I don’t but I don’t want to stop being Ron’s friend. He’s a good guy when he’s not ragging on you.”

“Then be his friend,” I shrugged “just don’t fall for his jealous ramblings again.”

“How are you so calm about this?” Harry wanted to know 

I shrugged “if I push and cause ripples, what does that accomplish? Will that keep me as your friend because you chose to or because you feel guilty?” I asked and said almost bitterly “having someone pushed upon you will most likely make you hate them in the end. You’ll start to resent them and I’d rather not be resented any more than I already am.”

“Huh…” Harry stopped to think about that one “I guess you’re right, I’m sorry.”  
I just shrugged “meh…worse things have happened. I mean, have you read about Hiroshima?   
Compared to that what’s squabbles amongst friends?”  
…  
Aunt Andy just rolled her eyes at Harry and me when she found us in my room, playing catch with one of Nym’s old stuffed toys (a snitch) and listening to Simon & Garfunkel. The record had been in Uncle Ted’s duplicate pile, he’d went through an ‘episode’ of OCD at the beginning of the summer and went neurotically through his record collection to ‘make it shipshape’. Man gave me all the albums he had twins of. 

“We’re waiting on you two!” she snapped “bunch of lay-abouts!”

I shrugged “not lazy, just decompressing…that’s the word, right?” I asked “when you just need to be alone or whatever to process?”

Aunt Andy glowered at me “you’re too smart of my own good,” I could see Harry nodding in agreement out of the corner of my eye “well, come along.”

“Harry, where were you?” Ron asked as the boy in question and I followed Aunt Andy down the stairs “we were busy and could have used yours and Black’s help! I mean, this is for her, right?”

“Ronald!” Mrs. Weasley snapped from across the room “be nice!”

I snuck across the room to Hermione and left Ronald to Harry. The bushy haired girl just glowered at me and handed me a small fanny pack that was filled with a stiff scrub brush, squirt bottle, thick leather gloves, random cleaning supplies and one of those face mask things like surgeons wear. I wondered about what Harry had asked, about me and Hermione not having a conversation about why we’d taken a friendship break. Maybe we were both avoiding it; I know I was. 

Near the kitchen was Mr. Weasley in conversation with Aunt Cissy, Aunt Andy and two men I’d never seen before. One was a short and portly man with a long pony tail; he was older with a bit of grey in his hair. The other was a bit taller, looked a lot younger and was bald like a newborn baby…that’s bald. They both wore grey overalls with elbow and knee pads and carried several empty leather duffle bags. 

Finally, Mr. Weasley clapped his hands and looked out at us “right, so listen up, here’s the plan. Mr. Buckhurst and Mrs. Tonks will apparate to the house first and set the floo back up. Once that’s set up, we’ll head through. The address to speak, and remember to say it clearly, is Number 12, Grimmauld. Don’t add ‘place’ cause you might end up in Munich,” I raised my hand “yes, Athena?”

“But I like Munich, they have old things there…ow! Why is everyone always hitting me?” I scowled at Hermione who just replied ‘shush’. 

Mr. Weasley ignored my comment and started organizing who’d go through first as Aunt Andy and Mr. Buckhurst ‘popped’ out of existence. I didn’t like the uncomfortable silence that was left in their wake so I turned on the telly and found re-runs of Monty Python. I’m not sure who was more engrossed in the show, us kids or Mr. Weasley trying to figure out how the muggle thing worked. 

Aunt Andy just rolled her eyes when she walked through green flames and found us gathered around her husband’s pride and joy. We all protested, including Mr. Weasley who turned red once he realized what he’d done; the man just cleared his throat and tried to remember he was an adult after all. 

“Why’d that bloke buy the parrot if he thought it was dead?” Ron asked thoroughly confused   
Harry, Hermione and I just grinned “is a parody, Ron,” Hermione explained “it was making fun of the situation.”

“Also it was because the clerk convinced him that it was sleeping,” I grinned at him “that’s why it’s funny.”

Ron was still trying to puzzle that out when it came his turn to go through the fire. When I it was my turn, Mr. Weasley gave me a serious look and told me not to say ‘Place’ or else. I grinned cheekily at him and then ran through the fire with a shout. On the other side, I found Aunt Andy sighing with relief that I’d come through and not gone to Bavaria, Germany. 

The next thing I noticed was the screaming that was coming through the door on the other side of the room…living room, I think…where Aunt Cissy was frowning at the door. I will say one thing about the Black family, it lives up to its name, and whomever decorated this place should be shot. It seemed like everything was monochromatic in the shade of Black. 

“Yea…this place is going to need a lot of paint, maybe bright highway yellow just to attempt to brighten it up,” I smirked over the screaming still looking as Jubilee ‘popped’ in beside me, she was wearing her own fanny pack “or maybe some of those pills that muggles take. Get the house on anti-depressants.”

Aunt Cissy looked over at me, Hermione and Ginny giggling behind me, the older woman rolled her eyes at me “remind me never to hire you as an interior decorator.”

I just grinned at her as Mr. Weasley was the last to come through and Aunt Andy asked her sister “what are we going to do about her!” she asked “we already tried to take her down but somebody put a permanent sticking on thing.”

“Got a sludge hammer?” I asked coming over to join them “this place could use more light.”

“That won’t…eh?” Aunt Cissy actually stopped in mid-sentence to give me a quizzical look “you want us to destroy Aunt Walburga?” 

“Does she always scream like that?” I asked pointing towards the door “because I vote…”

“Or,” Hermione stepped in and offered “you could just cut away the wall paper that she’s stuck to and remove her that way.”

Aunt Andy shook her head “we’ll have to think on this one before we start destroying walls. Besides if we just be quiet around her and keep her covered with the drapes we conjured then we should be alright.”  
…  
That sludge hammer was starting to look more and more appealing to me as the day wore on because that damn painting kept screaming. Kreacher, the little aged house elf who’d been taking orders from the woman for the last seven or so years, wasn’t helping with his mutterings about ‘blood traitors’. However, he only ever used the word ‘mudblood’ just once before Jubilee and I took after him; chasing him to his little hidey hole in a small cupboard.   
I frowned when I saw his little nest and what he had hidden in the corner of it. It reminded me of birds who collect shiny objects, little trophy finds. 

There was a shiny doorknob, a gold necklace, a silver buckle and a few old coins. The old elf hissed at us and slammed his cupboard door shut. Jubilee wanted to lock him in there but I said ‘no’, I was worried we’d forget he was in there. Who knows if he can still ‘pop’ at his age?

The lower level of the house and the kitchen was as bad as it could have been. There was the living room that was just dusty but littered with questionable objects, those went in a leather back with a red handle. Next was the library/drawing room of the house, filled with doxies and huge-ass spiders (seriously could have put saucers to shame, also Ron ran screaming from the room like a child and I hurt myself laughing…actually it was Hermione who hurt me for laughing) and there was something in the writing desk making it wobble. 

I asked Aunt Andy if we couldn’t just set fire to the room and start again but she said ‘no’ because there were some rare books amongst the collection there. The end of the first day found that ground floor was clear of the pests and dark artifacts, well the ones we could find. Having Jubilee there was a godsend, little elf put all of us to same. Mostly because she could use magic and we couldn’t…stupid rules. 

We were almost done with the last bedroom on the ground floor, it was near the back door into a wildly overgrown garden. Almost done! I swear that Murphy’s Law is the worst one ever put to metaphorical books, karma also bites. As it happened, I was helping the other ministry official deal with a rather jitter wardrobe that kept dodging the man’s shrinking spells. 

Using the length of cord from the curtain tie, I caught one of the wardrobe’s feet in a lasso loop and jerked. The wardrobe toppled as the cord, sun rotted, broke in half and sent me stumbling backwards. I backed into a little side table that had its top concealed with knickknack objects. 

One little glass ball rolled off the edge and without thinking, I stuck my foot out and popped it back up in a hacky sack move I’d learned in the States. My eyes followed it back up and I caught it and then I really, really, really wished I’d let it shatter on the ground. It felt like liquid rage was being injected into my body via the palm of my hand. 

It was red hot and gave the mental image of molten steel forcing itself up my veins like a bad drug. I was consumed by this and that rational part of my brain shut off, the side that keeps certain things that bugs me under wraps. The few times it’s been triggered is because of Ronald Weasley but now it was like someone opened the flood gates and I got an inside look into Lou Ferrigno’s character. 

I roared in pure rage alerting the official that something was wrong (I’d never caught the man’s name and now I really didn’t give a shite). He looked over from having just captured the wardrobe and didn’t expect me to hit him with the dusty, grimy amethyst geode that’d been on the same side table as the orb in my hand. I watched as the force of the blow took him to the floor, bleeding where I hit him, tosser should have been a better aim.

The wardrobe was escaping, it was so tiny and perfect as I punted it through the door. There was no satisfaction, just like with the ministry official, when the little wardrobe soared through the door, squealing as it went (I wasn’t thinking about why it was making noise) and bounced harmlessly off the wall to the floor. The damn little thing had the audacity, then, to get up and quick waddle its way down the hallway.

“Oi!” I cried running after the damned thing, the flowing fury in me surged at the fact that the thing hadn’t been hurt “you little bastard!” I hissed and went after it kicking and stomping at it “hold still you bleeding piece of vermin!” 

The commotion that I was making and didn’t give two shites about earned the ire of Walburga’s portrait. I was growling, nostrils flaring as I punted that little fucking, rat bastard son of an enchanted whore wardrobe through the open door to the kitchen. It was forgotten when Walburga started screaming again.

“Filthy blood traitors! How dare you bring a Mudblood in to my home! Filth! Traitors! Who do you think you are? Besmirching the house of my forebears!” she screeched and dragged my attention to her. The painted woman scowled at me when I ripped her curtains away. I was gritting my teeth and staring death at the living painting “you are unfit to be the heir to the Most Noble and Ancient House! You will be the downfall of us!”

“Shut your fucking mouth, you shriveled up, ancient hag!” I snarled clenching my free fist and decked her portrait, it hurt but I didn’t care. I was more intent on watching the reeling portrait “this house has already fallen and it’s your own bloody cock-up that caused! It was you and yours who brought the Blacks to down and I am more than ashamed of being one! It makes me sick to my stomach to be painted with the same brush with the likes of your dank, ill bred, buggering ilk!”

“Watch it, child,” the painting warned “I will not be disrespected by the likes of a foul mouthed, little urchin like you!”

“Whatcha going do to?” I demanded with my arms out spread sarcastically “taunt me a second time?” I asked before snarling again “you’re nothing but a bad copy of an ugly painting whose subject obviously fell out of ugly tree and hit very fucking branch on the way down! Huh? Whatcha going to do, you cock grabbing, three-fingered wanker?” I’d heard Fraser use that line once “that’s right, not a bloody thing! You’re fucking dead and nobody gives two bleeding shriveled bollocks! The only reason there were people at your funeral was because the gravediggers were needed to fill in your oversized gaping hole! That’s the only depth you ever had, strange for a cunt like you!”

The painting gasped “why you little bitch!”

“Oh, I’m so bloody hurt!” I mocked with a feigned whine “someone call a healer…oh, wait that was such a sobbing pathetic line! I’ve been burned worse by the sun and I was in Siberia at the time!” I shouted “you’re just as weak now as when you were alive, no wonder the Most Pitiful and Laughable House of Obscure Dimness crumbled!” I shoved a finger in the paintings face “you couldn’t bring glory to paper bag even if you wrote it on the side with an auto-spelling Sharpie!”

“Athena?” Aunt Andy called when I paused for a millisecond to take a breath, her and the rest of the house; sans the man I’d brained with a rock, were watching me berate the painting. I whirled to face the woman with that molten steel burning again and I could feel the heat behind my eyes “what…why are you glowing?”

“What the fuck do you care?” I demanded, angry tears burning down my cheeks and that made the rage in me all the worse. It sent me into that ‘trembling with rage’ stage of unadulterated wrath “Well?” I sneered, leaving the whole group in speechless astonishment at my words “never fucking cared before? Why now, eh? I wasn’t worth caring about when I just another McGonagall? Well? Just that little bitch that your mad slag of a sister pushed out of her gaping twat…oh but wait, Fergus kicked me out of the family and now…and now I’m only worth caring about! I’m only worth caring about if I’m your heir,” I was clenching my fists again, the orb painfully hot in my hand but I couldn’t let go “don’t give a flying fuck about the first eleven years of my life. No one gives a bleeding hound of hell that Fraser shouldn’t have be allowed to raise a gerbil much less child!” I scorned them and then accused “I only became relevant when I became useful to you opportunistic cows!”

The fire burned across my shoulders as I panted, my muscles straining and flexing. I want to attack something with more than just words. There was need for violence in my head and it felt foreign. That rational part of my brain whimpered when Hermione stepped past the shell shocked sisters.

“Athena, what’s that in your hand?” she asked softly holding up her hands for peace   
I growled at her “and why should I tell you, you wouldn’t trust me anyways,” I snapped as the fired burned down my spine “that’s the point right? That’s the point that St. Weasley made to you; that I’m untrustworthy and that I’m like every other Black that’s ever been produced. I was your FRIEND!” I screamed at her “I was your friend,” the growl that issued from me was almost animalistic “the first friend I’ve ever had that was my age. I let you in, Granger, I let you be there and then you side with that little redheaded bastard! How many bleeding times did you promise you weren’t going to lie to me? HOW MANY!”

Hermione gulped and wiped at the tears streaming down her cheeks “I’m sorry about that, I…”

“Oh, you’re sorry, are you?” I snarked “after which time, hmm? The third, four, after the fifth maybe? I gave you every gods-be-damned chance, I thought you’d remember that we were friends before Hogwarts! But one whinny little bitch knocks out a damn troll and he becomes St. Weasley!”

“Athena…” Hermione tried to interrupt, some part of me should have felt bad that I had her in tears but I wasn’t. I didn’t even care that everyone was transfixed by this. 

“NO!” I roared, cutting her off “you will listen! I’ve kept quiet too long! Too bloody long and it’s making me the fool here! I don’t get it, what’s so great about St. Weasley? He picks on you for being smart, makes you do his homework and he’s the one to bloody turn you against me!” Ron would have been very smart to be hiding right then “he made you think I was untrustworthy, that I was something to be suspicious of and it could have gotten you killed! He was the reason you were in that bleeding bathroom! He’s the reason you could have killed Neville and he’s the reason Harry nearly had to face Voldy-fuck by himself! He is the reason why we’re not really friends anymore…”

“How dare you disgrace the Dark Lord like that,” Walburga sneered venomously, cutting through my rant, looking like she wanted nothing more than to pop off that canvas and hex me into the new millennium “you are no heir of mine! You must have truly inherited Bellatrix’s insanity!”

I spun back to her, swiping up the kerosene lamp that’d been lit and sitting on the side table by the door to the living room and said with scorn “like the cheshire cat said to Alice, we’re all mad here!”  
With that I threw the lamp and got to watch it shatter against the painting and heard the whoosh of the flames. The painting screamed as fire, fueled by the oil, started to devour the canvas. It was enough of a distraction that I never seen Fred and George move until they were tackling me to the floor; Mr. Weasley and Buckhurst not far behind them. 

I thrashed, kicked, swore like a wasp-stung sailor and gnashed my teeth at the twins. It took both of them to hold me down long enough for Mr. Weasley and the ministry man to pry the orb out of my hand. I grasped when it was ripped out of my burnt, blistered and bleeding hand. The instant it was gone, I felt like I’d been doused in ice cold water. 

“Nasty little bugger,” Buckhurst said, leaving Mr. Weasley and the twins to tend to me as he turned to the others “Soviet made ‘anger-ball’ from the seventies,” he explained to the others, who’d just put fiery painting “it amplifies what is bothering a person and makes it a thousand times worse and forces it out like we just saw, these were meant for the States. Ever wonder why New York is such an angry place?”

“Bobby, that’s nice,” Mr. Weasley called calmly “but I need Andromeda over here because Athena is seriously hurt.”   
…  
Tears rolled down my cheeks and I couldn’t look at Aunt Andy as she bandaged my hand, I was hiding my face in the crook of my arm. I was too ashamed of what I’d screamed at her and I was too afraid to see how hurt and angry she was at me. Aunt Andy was speaking so I knew that she was. The pain in my hand was nothing compared to how hurt I was inside because I’d just ruined everything. 

Hermione would never want to speak to me again; that look of hurt on her face kept flashing before my eyes. I whimpered when Aunt Andy stood and left the living room without saying a word to me; I jumped a little when the living room door snapped shut. The lump in my throat was hard to swallow and I felt like throwing up.

There was nothing I wanted more than to just curl up in a ball and disappear. Pretend that I’d never existed. That I’d never been born to this wretched world. The pain was too much as I gasped for breath and stumbling off the couch to the little pouch of floo powder that Aunt Andy had left by the fire. 

Taking some I stood in the fireplace “Professor McGonagall’s Office, Hogwarts!” I cried and winched at the pain in my raw throat.


	7. The Aftermath of Wrath…

Green fire whooshed around me as the floo activated and took me away from Grimmauld Place. It reminded me of the lamp I’d smashed into Walburga’s painting and honestly, through the shivering that’d been left in place of the rage, I didn’t feel bad about that. Right now I was more concerned with the fact that I was caught between full body sobs as I came out of Gran’s fire place and the emotional numbness that had started creeping into my chest. 

I could have cared less that Dumbledore and Gran seemed to be in the middle of a meeting in Gran’s office. There were more pressing matters like the throbbing of my hand, the sobs I was still victim to and full body shivering I was going through. Cradling my hand, with its bloody bandage, I stumbled into a very flabbergasted Gran. She went with me to the floor when my knees gave out.

“What in the world?” Dumbledore asked softly coming out of his plush –out of place for the feel of Gran’s office- chair “is she alright, Minerva?”

Gran just scoffed “I don’t actually know, Albus,” she was trying to comfort me “here now, lass, what’s wrong?”

“Blacks ruin everything,” I said through my sobs, my eyes shut tight “I don’t want to be a Black, I don’t want to be heir, I don’t want it anymore!”

“Maybe I should contact Andromeda…” Dumbledore offered “she’ll know what’s going on with Miss Black.”

“She…she won’t want me,” I choked out “not after what the ball made…made m-me say. I’m so st-st-stupid, I sh-should’ve know better. Now ev-everything’s ruined!”

“I think a calming draught would be better,” Gran frowned “or two?”  
Dumbledore must have stood because I heard his long robes rustling “still in the left middle drawer?” he asked

“Aye,” Gran nodded trying to pry me off of her “come now, little lion, let’s have a sit down on the couch, yea?” the couch she’d just transfigured from the plush chair the headmaster had been in. 

I told my story (without mentioning Harry’s new residence) once the calming draught started to work; I was staring out the window at the blue sky and missed the look that passed between Gran and the headmaster. Dumbledore called an elf from the kitchens, I didn’t catch the elf’s name but the bearded man sent the elf to get Madam Pompfrey. 

The woman arrived with a huff in the elf popped her into the room “Miss Black, what are you doing here?” 

“Poppy,” Gran shook her head, she had me sitting with my back against her chest and I could hear the worry in her voice but I wasn’t moved by it “I need you to look at her hand.”

“Goodness child,” Madam Pompfrey came over to knee before the couch and carefully took my bandaged hand “what did you do?” she asked softly as she started undoing the recent wrappings “dear Merlin!” she gasped upon seeing my hand. Yea…it was still pretty badly burned.

Gran’s arm around my shoulders tightened a bit as she asked “is there a symbol burned into the base of her thumb? On the thenar eminence?”

“It’s a hammer and sickle!” Pompfrey gasped “but I thought…” she trailed off dumbfounded.  
Dumbledore pushed from the edge of Gran’s desk and nodded “I’ll floo Amelia and other related parties. Do you want her to come to us or us to them?”

“Oh, she’s not going anywhere,” Madam Pompfrey stated resolutely “this hand needs proper attention before it can become any worse!” 

I felt like a casual observer to this happening. My brain screamed that this was wrong, that I should feel something. That I should care more that my hand was killing me in terms of pain but I just didn’t care; I couldn’t even bring myself to caring. I just blinked slowly as Pompfrey strode to the fireplace and went through it going back to the hospital wing to get supplies.   
….  
My brain was really becoming worried when I didn’t flinch or respond when Pompfrey had started pouring potions over my hand that should have had me screaming, even if the first potion she’d given me was for pain. My skin was blackened near the center of my palm and there was various blisters that had formed on my fingers and the pad of my thumb. In-between all that was very raw skin; Aunt Andy probably should have taken me straight to St. Mungo’s for this.   
I did not react to this nor did I react when Gran’s fire flared again through it came Amelia Bones and Professor Dumbledore. There really wasn’t any greetings as Madam Bones rushed over and knelt beside the healer. 

She winched and frowned deeply at the sight of my hand before she looked up at me “that doesn’t hurt, does it?” the woman asked looking me in the eyes, her normal façade gone and a more caring side was showing “are you lost?” my face stayed emotionless but my eyes flicked back and forth in confusion, I had no idea what she meant. Bones smiled and gently patted my cheek “you’re still there and you understand me? Look to the right if you do.” 

I did as she asked “good,” the DMLE head nodded, her smile widened “now, Athena, I want you to understand that whatever happened while you holding that orb isn’t your fault,” I squeezed my eyes shut and refused to believe her “the orb was designed to intentionally cause suffering. It amplified what you were holding inside, what was bothering you…listen to me,” Madam Bones gently patted my cheek “everything that you knew you were bottling up and things you hadn’t even realized were troubling you was forced out against your will by the orb. Things that you would have never said or mentioned. I know,” she held up her hand to show me the palm of her left hand and there on the base of her thumb was a raised, pale scar of a crossed hammer and sickle “I went through it too.” 

That was slightly comforting but I still couldn’t respond. I couldn’t make my lips move nor my voice to make sound. I could blink though and move my eyes; so I blinked twice and then held my eyes shut. This being unable to move was starting to scare me. 

“Tis okay, Athena,” Gran whispered, I’d started trembling again as Pompfrey started wrapping my hand again; she’d coated my hand in a white salve “you’re going to be fine. This is just the downside of the orb. Your emotions will come back and this state you’re in will end.”   
….  
It hadn’t taken long for the potions that Madam Pompfrey fed me to work. Gran had made the couch into a fluffy cot and got a blanket for me from her quarters while Pompfrey got rid of the dirty clothes I was wearing, using her wand to exchange them for clean pjs. I’ve no idea where Madam Bones and Dumbledore got to once I was laid down and covered up. 

I was almost asleep when I heard voices arguing. They were coming from the other side of Gran’s door. It sounded like Gran was arguing with Aunt Andy. I know what I should have felt with when I recognized Aunt Andy’s voice but there was nothing. There was no pain or sorrow for what had happened. 

“…thinking? Damn it, Andromeda, you knew what she’d been through and you still take her in there? Any one of those artifacts could have reversed all of our efforts to save her. She’s still healing for Merlin’s Sake!” Gran cried angrily 

Aunt Andy sounded just as angry “I know that! I thought we were being careful! I employed those damn dark artifact officials! This wasn’t supposed to happen!” Aunt Andy growled in frustration, I could hear it but I felt nothing in response to it “I thought I had taken every precaution I had available to me!” she cried “I just…what do I do now, Minerva? I didn’t even know that she felt like that! I don’t know how to fix this!”

“Firstly, you will tell her that she more than your heir. That’s all she’s heard since you lot took her away from me at Gringotts,” Gran snapped, she sounded close to livid “I was working on a way to protect her, to give her a real family when you lot swept my feet out from under me,” I thought I’d feel mixed emotions about but there was still nothing “you be patient with her. I’ve seen what those bloody ‘anger-balls’ will do and I’ve seen the aftermath. Her emotions are going to be dulled for a while. Like she’s not feeling anything,” that was already happening “There was a reason those things were made illegal and destroyed upon sight.” 

“Will she come out of it soon or will something just spark and bring her out?” Aunt Andy wanted to know 

Gran sighed, it was soft but I still heard it “it varies, my older brother needed time while a good friend needed a stinging hex to the backside,” Gran grumbled “though I wouldn’t suggest that in this case with her magic just now returning. I bet she’ll be extra glad when this summer’s officially over.” 

Oh, Gran…you had no idea.   
….  
When I woke sometime later it was because someone was prodding my shoulder. Blinking to clear my eyes, I found that I was being watched by three people I’d never seen before, Gran, Aunt Andy, Madam Bones and Dumbledore. Madam Pompfrey had been the one doing the prodding of my shoulder. 

The three people would have been curious for me if I’d been feeling normal. The first one, standing next to Dumbledore was a tall, willowy woman with long dark hair. She was wearing a shockingly white shirt with dark slacks and a form fitting vest. Her eyes were old and intelligent but she looked like she was in her early thirties. 

Next to her was a woman with very curly brown hair and warm brown eyes. She wore a very stern business suit, it was tailor fitted and colored black. The sense of her was that she was a professional law enforcement as the atmosphere she gave was like that of Madam Bones. 

The other person would have shocked the life out of me under normal circumstances. He was kneeling on the other side of Madam Pompfrey, who was tending my hand. The man was staring at me through glasses hanging off a headband that magnified his eyes and made them huge. Beyond that he had very fluffy and grey eyes and hair to match on his head. 

He blinked when I stared him in his big eyes “well, I can’t see any residual energy from the orb,” he’s voice was gruff but non-threatening, he was American “but she certainly is suffering the downside of the artifact.”

“But we bagged the orb, Artie,” the Bones-like woman frowned as she moved over to knee beside him, she from the State’s just like this Artie person “we neutralized it, why didn’t that break the whammy?” 

He snorted “because the Soviets were ingenious, insidious bastards,” he frowned then “sorry, kid.”

“Oh, she’s said worse herself, don’t worry,” Aunt Andy said dryly “you should have heard her rant to my aunt’s portrait.”

The American woman raised an eyebrow “why was she yelling at a painting? Is that part of the whammy?”

There was a chuckle from the woman next to Dumbledore “no, darling, the portraits in the magical world are enchanted to be close to living,” this woman was English “they perfectly mimic the person they are painted from.” 

“Oh,” the American woman looked back to me “then how can we help her?” 

Madam Bones sighed “either wait it out or find a stimuli to break the hold of the orb,” she spoke with firm authority on this one “I’m afraid for Miss Black, I’m afraid she’ll have to wait it out.”

“Not unless you have Mikao Usui’s first cheery blossom stone pendent he wore when developing reiki,” the man named Artie cried while digging through a leather doctor’s bag “it brings balance back to a person’s life force, to their chi.” 

“Artie, I’m not sure…” the English woman called 

Before she could stop him, the bushy eyed man laid a small round stone in the palm of my good hand. It was a cross section of stone that was about the size of an American penny. The pendent had the natural design of a golden-pink cherry blossom. When the thing touched my skin, it flashed cherry pink and I howled out in immense pain.   
Anyone would if they could suddenly feel their heavily burned hand. Madam Pompfrey was quick enough to move out of my way but Artie and the American woman; they were like dominos when I came off the bed. I pushed Artie and he toppled backwards taking the woman with him. 

I made it to Gran’s trashcan and threw up in, violently. It felt like everything I’d experienced, both the emotional and physical hurt, had crashed down on me at once. My whole body was sore from the strain the rage had had on me, clenching up and ready for a fight. There was no stopping the tears that came with. 

A warm hand rubbed at my back and a soft English accent whisper “it’s alright, love, get it out; you’ll feel better when you’re done.”

I scowled at the Englishwoman for a second before turning and hugging the trashcan again as my body heaved again; would have thought there was nothing left to come up. From the taste of it, it wasn’t that acidic rancidness but something that tasted more…like fudge with a hint of black licorice. I whimpered at that taste. 

“That’s the orb’s dregs, nothing harmful,” the woman was very comforting for some reason “just makes you ill.”

She was kneeing beside me and radiating heat, I was leaned into because of this. I was freezing; I wasn’t sure if that was from shock or from because I really was cold. The woman just smiled tenderly and with a wave of her hand she made the contents of the trashcan vanish. When I looked up to her, she just winked at me.

“I’m Helena, dear,” she whispered “and you must be a very tired and scared little girl.” 

I shrugged as I tried wigging my way closer to her; she was really was warm. Gran appeared, kneeling beside us and hold out a cup towards me so I’d have something to rinse my mouth out with. She tried to make me give up my one armed hold on Helena but I refused with a shake of my head. Helena just smiled sadly and asked for a blanket because I was shivering. 

The whimpering returned when I looked towards Madam Pompfrey and held out my half bandaged hand to her. I was gritting my teeth and trying to stop the shivering and trembling, not matter the cause wasn’t working. Helena, with Gran’s help, got me up to my feet and got me back to the transfigured bed. 

Madam Pompfrey was glowering at Aunt Andy “I would assume that you still know how to treat burns, do you not Healer Tonks?” 

Aunt Andy flinched a little at the hiss Pompfrey’s tone “I was going to take her to St. Mungo’s before she took off,” she was trying to keep her temper with her healing abilities in question “and yes, I know how!”

“Poppy, will she be able to going that meeting in two hours?” Madam Bones asked politely

Madam Pompfrey huffed indignantly and growled “I don’t see why not, though I’d suggest against it, honestly. I don’t believe that Miss Black needs anymore emotional trauma, especially after all she’s been through this summer.”

I flinched at the subtle hint and turned my face into Helena’s shoulder as my eyes started watering again and noticed she smelled like green apples. Helena held me in a comforting embrace as Madam Pompfrey finished what she was doing and excused herself from the room. 

“I agree with Madam Pompfrey,” Dumbledore finally spoke “have your meeting but exclude Miss Black from it. I believe she’d be overwhelmed if she had to face that right now. The strength she’s shown so far is very commendable,” I peeked out from my hiding spot and sniffed back my runny nose, the American handed me a handkerchief from her pocket. 

Dumbledore looked at me “beyond the official you hit and did no last damage too, Athena, you did not cast magic. The only real physical damage was the loss of Walburga’s portrait.”

“No real loss there,” Madam Bones muttered and winked at me conspiratorially as Dumbledore chuckled softly. I’m sure he had his own run in with woman considering that he was headmaster when both Regulus and Sirius were here in Hogwarts. The DMLE head continued “I agree, Athena should go on home. I can have Nym here very shortly. Mr. Nielsen, would you care to join us for this meeting? We are going to explain to everyone that was there exactly what happened and why.”

The portly man huffed and nodded “usually I’m busy trying to explain this away not the opposite.”

“It’ll do you good then Arthur,” Helena smiled and teased but he just glared at her “I’m surprised that you haven’t had more dealings with the magic world, honestly.”

“Are you going to stay with the girl?” Artie asked and Helena nodded, the man didn’t look happy as he turned to his fellow American “and you, Myka?” 

The woman looked torn, glancing back and forth between Artie and Helena. Finally, Helena smiled and said “darling, I’ll be alright here, go and help explain. You’ve read everything the Warehouse has on these ‘anger-balls’.”   
…  
Everyone but Helena and Gran left not long after that; Nym came to take Aunt Andy’s place. There were a few words exchanged between Aunt Andy and Nym in hushed whisper, Nym glared at her mother and walked away from her to end their conversation. I was mildly curious about that but at the same time, I really didn’t. 

It wasn’t hard to guess that my words had really hurt Aunt Andy. A stray thought made me whimper, what if when I was using cutting words at her I looked exactly like my mum. That started the water works again and I hid in Helena again. The woman just cooed to me softly and rubbed at me shoulder over the blanket I was covered up in. 

“Want to know a secret?” Helena asked dragging my soggy gaze up to her, I nodded. The woman was interesting and I wanted to know more about her. I wanted to know why she made me feel safe, that I could cling to her for comfort “I used to go to Hogwarts but that was a very long time ago,” I wiped away tears and quirked an eyebrow at her “I knew Albus Dumbledore when he was a young man,” Helena chuckled when I narrowed my eyes at her in disbelief “I’m completely serious.”

“No way,” Nym entered the conversation, she’d conjured a chair and was sitting beside the bed that Helena and I were on “you’re so young and he’s…well, he’s ancient. He’s literally older than sliced bread.”

That made Helena laugh “I’m older, dear,” she reached over and patted Nym’s arm “by fifteen years; give or take. I come under rather…peculiar circumstances…and found myself in this day and age,” she seemed amused by her own phrasing “I taught Charms for a time, before the muggle world called to me; I greatly liked being an inventor before I came to the attention of the Warehouse. Being a witch only helped to pique their interest.”

Blinking, I tapped Helena on the knee and when she looked to me, I pointed at her then made imaginary wand motions and then pointed to myself. I wasn’t sure why I couldn’t just ask her out loud if she’d be willing to teach me something. It wasn’t like I’d forgotten how but it just wasn’t the first thing to come to mind. 

“You want me to teach you?” Helena asked and I nodded. The woman sighed heavily “alas, if I could. I don’t have a wand anymore.”

I frowned darkly at that as Nym cried “what?” the Auror-in-training looked personally insulted by this “that’s outrageous! Every witch and wizard needs their wand! Basic right of having magic!” 

“I abused that right, I’m afraid,” Helena explained “the people I work for decided that I was too dangerous if allowed a wand.” 

I harrumphed at this, leaning back against Helena while being careful of my hand and started pointedly at Nym. Nym gave me a weird look “what? Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked; I made the wand motions again but point at Nym and then to Helena. The older girl chuckled “I think my little cousin wants me to get you a wand. She’s taken quite the liking to you, which is very strange. Normally, she’s distant through smart remarks.” 

Helena rubbed at my shoulder to get my attention, her smile of gratitude was genuine “thank you, Athena, but it would just be taken away, I’m afraid. Maybe, someday, I can take you up on that offer but for now, thank you for the kind gesture.”  
…  
Gran returned thirty minutes after Nym had arrived. Even with everything going on, she still had Hogwarts duties to perform by visiting muggle-born children. She brought food with her, my inter clock was shot and I had no idea how long it’d been since I’d last eaten so I was grateful. 

I was very much dreading when I’d have to return home. There were several reasons. I didn’t want to leave Gran nor my new friend (who promised to owl me. I’d sort of fallen out of owling Vicky and Bill but I hoped that wouldn’t be the case with Helena) and I didn’t want to be alone with Aunt Andy. It was absolutely terrifying, the prospect of what she’d say to me and having to talk…or gesture in my new case…about what I had said. 

After saying…gesturing…my goodbyes to Helena and Gran (who promised to visit) Nym took me by the hand. Her hair had shifted from its happy pink color to dark, dark blue; it meant she was worried and concerned. Nym looked down at me and smiled reassuringly, keeping it though her lips wavered. 

“It’ll be alright, little cousin,” she promised before leading me through the green flames to home.


	8. Summer’s End

Harry was anxiously waiting in the living with Uncle Ted when Nym lead me through the green flames of the fire. Both he and Uncle Ted descended upon me even before the floo had died away. Uncle Ted swore that he was never going to let me go off anywhere by myself again and Harry seconded that.

The attention and concern made me a little uncomfortable; especially from Harry. He’d been there and heard what I’d said and how I’d said it, the malice and anger that’d been in my tone. If Harry realized this, that I was a little embarrassed, then he was ignoring it as the boy decided that he was going to be my second helper right after Jubilee. 

Said elf was on the verge of a neurotic breakdown and currently gathering supplies to take care of me. Uncle Ted had gotten the rest of the summer off so he could help as well, he frowned at little when Nym gave him a quick rundown of what had happened at Hogwarts. Seeing I was in good hands, Nym gave me a hug and placed a kissed to my temple before she left through the floo back to the ministry so she could report back in. 

“So, was Nym right?” Harry asked, we were sitting down in the living room “you can’t talk?” I frowned and then shook my head. That was the right way to respond…right? Or was I supposed to nod? I was so confused “good thing that it wasn’t your right hand that got hurt,” Harry tried to make me smile “Fred and George want you to write them, they want to know if you’re okay.”

I nodded, hanging my head a little and headed for my bedroom. Harry followed patiently and helped get me a piece of paper and one of my pens. I don’t know why but I wrote to 

them about Helena and the other Warehouse people. Harry helped by holding the paper still and I wasn’t bothered by him reading over my shoulder.   
“What do you think they do?” he asked as he tied the finished letter to Gorgo’s leg and opened the window for her “the Warehouse people?” 

I shrugged and wrote haphazardly on a piece of paper ‘no clue’ and ‘furry man had other enchanted things’. Harry and I ‘chatted’ about this as he helped me write another letter; this one to Hermione. Well…Harry wrote it having read the twins’ letter. I added my own little endnote, apologizing about what I’d said and that I’d understand if she never wanted anything to do with me again. Harry sent that letter off with Hedwig.   
….  
“Madam Bones explained what happened,” Harry said quietly but I still heard him over the music we were laying on the floor listening to “she described what you were going through, how it would have felt. She told us that the orb,” he was straining to remember the words correctly “found the little things that bother a person, the things they keep hidden. The things we bottle up and try to forget and the things we don’t even realize are bothering us. It’s the things you’ll never say anything about and the orb will use it to   
hurt those around its victim.”

I blinked at him before clumsily writing on a legal tablet of Uncle Teds (it was nearly done with only a few leafs left in it) ‘what was people’s reaction?’ before handing the table to Harry. He read it and then frowned. 

“Well, we were more concerned about your wellbeing,” he shrugged “Hermione was really upset until I pointed out that you hadn’t used swear words at her, I think she was doubting herself as well. Then Ron popped off and now Dumbledore knows I live here.” 

My eyebrows rose in surprise at this and I quickly wrote on the pad ‘what happened then?’

Harry chuckled darkly “the whole conversation changed and what happened to you was dismissed,” he scowled “Dumbledore was trying to convince Uncle Ted, he said I have to call him that, anyways…Dumbledore tried to convince everyone that I needed to go back to the Dursleys because I’m ‘protected’ there or something,” Harry sighed and shook his head “even Madam Bones told him to back down. Papers already went through and whatever tie beyond blood I have with them is broken.”

‘You okay?’ I asked and waited for Harry to finish reading it before expecting a response. 

Harry nodded eventually “I am, I’m just waiting to wake up from this, ya know? Waiting for Uncle Vernon to start kicking on the cupboard door and wake me up from this dream.”  
I knew how Harry was feeling; I drew a smiley face on the pad and wrote beside it ‘not a dream’ and made Harry chuckled. We talked a little longer before Uncle Ted was calling us down for dinner. Aunt Andy looked tired and weary, there was dirt on her forehead. She frowned a little when I sat down beside her, it was the only open seat, and pointed the dirt out to her.   
….  
Uncle Ted was fun, or at least he was trying to be for me and Harry. He liked the idea of helping out the Weasleys, Harry did too. Between the three of us, and after a trip to Gringotts, Uncle Ted took us to Diagon Alley to do some school shopping. He wanted to get the little things off the list knowing that Harry and I would want to do the big shopping at the same time our friends did; like Hermione had written about in her return reply to me. 

The clerk at Flourish & Blotts gulped when Uncle Ted’s glare when the man had tried to up the price on our order of seven sets of Lock-fart’s books. Uncle Ted’s menacing was so good that we ended up getting a discount. With instructions on where to send the orders, we left there and headed for the apothecary. 

Never got there before my hand started hurting, it was throbbing and stinging at the same time. Uncle Ted just smiled and took me and Harry through the floo to St. Mungo’s. Healer Strout nearly lost her calm when she unwrapped my hand. Burns ranging from first to third and the hammer and sickle could already be seen in the same place Madam Bones’s was. 

Two apprentice healers were brought in to help clean up my hand, some of the skin needed to be removed and the blisters needed to be trimmed. The salves that Madam Pompfrey had prescribed weren’t quite powerful enough to repair the damaged caused by an enchanted object. The three healers got my hand in to a glass jar that had a self-propelled vortex in center. 

Uncle Ted and Harry had left me there once Strout told them this treatment would take over an hour. It wasn’t a quick fix, it was just to make sure that my hand was completely clean of all dead bits of skin and to draw out the liquid from the trimmed blisters. The boys decided they could pop back to Diagon Alley and get the shopping done that we’d planned on. 

I was more than halfway through the treatment when familiar face walked past the room I was sitting in; as I couldn’t speak I threw one of the heavy tomes that one the apprentices left behind. There may have been chuckling on my part when I heard Neville squeak when the tome hit the wall just behind him. The boy came back to peak his head around the corner of the door and his glare turned to a look of surprise.

“Athena!” he squawked “what are you doing here?” he asked and I pointed to my hand, then I pointed to my lips and shook my head “what happened to your voice?”   
“Neville!” a frustrated Augusta Longbottom sounded off from stage right as Neville came on into the room.

“What did you do to your hand?” Neville asked as his grandmother stomped in behind him, I mimicked something to write with.

“Miss Black?” Augusta Longbottom wasn’t sure what facial expression to have when she saw me “here,” she pulled out a fountain pen and a small note pad, Neville held it still while 

I wrote “dear Merlin!” Augusta gasped when I wrote the shortened version of what happened “I thought all those had been rounded up and destroyed!” 

I just shrugged and Neville pointed to the now muddied swirling jar “is that why your hand’s in there?”

His grandmother patted him on the shoulder “Neville, an ‘anger-ball’ causes nasty burns. Some are caused from heat and some from frostbite. Depends on how a person’s temper presents itself,” the older woman explained and I raised an eyebrow at her “I knew the man who was researching a way to combat them and render them inert. Blasted things almost put the rememberalls out of business because no one could tell the difference between the two.”

I just nodded before writing another clumsy question down, Neville answered “oh, we’re here to see my parents. We just got back from Japan,” I nodded, wrote again and got a questioning look from Neville “you’re forgiven for missing my birthday, I was out of country anyways, I figured we could have a get together before school started if Gran says yes but what do you mean by ‘had another accident’.” 

Sighing I wrote down a question and presented it to Neville’s grandmother. It was easier if she said yes to my question if she knew legilimens. She looked baffled as she said yes and I brought a rough outline of my Scotland adventure to the forefront of my mind, placing it beyond the Great Wall. The older witch just snorted at what she’d seen and shook her head as she explained what I’d shown her. 

Neville blinked at me before jumping up on the table beside me “wow, your summer sounds awful,” I nodded in full agreement “shouldn’t you be here with someone?”  
I wrote my answer down and Augusta grunted indignantly when she saw it “of course, why not leave a child who can’t speak alone in a room while getting treated for an enchanted burn,” with that the woman pulled her wand and conjured a comfortable plush chair “I think we’ll just wait right, Neville, you can tell your friend all about our travels.”  
….  
Neville had me laughing by the time that Uncle Ted and Harry came back, happening to arrive at the same time as the healers. The blond boy had been regaling me with his epic fails of clumsiness that were funnier than they were fails. Harry was excited to see Neville, the two boys greeting each other with a secret handshake that I hadn’t known they’d come up with; guess that’s why it’s secret. Then the two boys were sent to wait in the hall while my hand was tended to. 

Once my hand was out of the solution stuff Healer Strout was able to get a better picture of what they were dealing with. The dead flesh had been washed away which included the skin of the blisters and the clear liquid called serum (as Strout explained) was drawn away; leaving the whole of the wound clean. My hand, still numb from the solution, felt weird and stiff, it was tough to move my fingers.

Strout frown and little as she was sliding my hand into a tub of crème colored salve explained after I’d written down my question “that’s because deep tissue burns, such as the one in the middle of your hand, can cause what’s called ‘contractures’. It’s where the muscles have been shrunk by the heat,” she never took her eyes off her work “thankfully with this burn salve, you won’t have the same problem as a muggle who would have the same injury. Your hand may always be a little stiff on days where it’s cold but it should pass quickly and shouldn’t be painful.” 

“What about scaring and sensitivity?” Augusta asked 

The healer looked to Uncle Ted but the man just motioned for her to continue “as the injury wasn’t tended to promptly and properly, Athena will have mild sensitivity to extreme temperature differences. Not even magic can get rid of that fact of biology,” Strout growled softly like she was upset with biology for not conforming “she’ll need to be careful with washing her hands and she’ll need to learn about proper moisturizing lotions because the oil-glands that naturally moisturize the skin will have been either destroyed or damaged. However, this is something we can go over again in time.”

I raised an eyebrow at that. Truthfully what she’d said made me uneasy because I hadn’t realized that this injury could have long lasting effects. I wrote my question down and handed the pad to Uncle Ted. Took a minute to figure out the sloppy writing but once he did, he frowned for a second.

“How long is ‘in time’?” he read

Strout shrugged as she pulled my salve coated hand free from the tub and held her hand out to the apprentice, who was handing her gauze bandages “2nd degree burns, the ones that blister, usually take two to three weeks to heal. So her fingers should be fine sooner, especially now that we have her on this stronger salve,” she still didn’t look away from her work “the palm of her hand, however, needs to be grafted. We have a potion that can regrow the skin but it takes longer because of the way she was burned. It’s also more painful.”

“Meaning?” Uncle Ted pressed 

“Meaning that it’ll take up to three months to regrow the skin on her palm, the process will be slow and she’ll need her dressings changed at least two to four times a day to keep the wound clean and from of infection,” Strout finally looked up when she was happy with her moist gauze placement “the burn won’t heal until it’s closed. Be happy that it wasn’t her whole hand that was given a 3rd degree burn.”   
….  
We left St. Mungo’s with my stomach growling. Neville had promised to come visit before we headed for Diagon Alley, he and Harry could celebrate their birthdays together; Uncle Ted’s suggestion. We parted ways the Longbottoms at the lobby, they were headed up to the long term treatment ward and we were headed for St. Mungo’s apothecary. 

Strout had put herself down as my official healer on the paperwork that was filled out before they’d left me leave and with a prescription in for the appropriate potions and salve infused bandages as well. That was given to us in a charmed satchel and we were free to go. Uncle Ted took us straight home and I took a nap before dinner. 

Three days passed before Hermione made her appearance at the Tonks home. At this point I’d gotten writing down my questions to an art form, plus Uncle Ted had gotten me a small dry erase board so that made things easier. It was Tuesday, almost a full week since the orb attack and the last time I’d seen her. 

Harry took this opportunity to ask if he could go visit the Weasleys; Uncle Ted agreed while he was frowning at his wife heading off through the floo. He’d told us that Aunt Andy had been waging war on Grimmauld with Aunt Cissy was her general. I didn’t care about the dank old house, I just wish that Aunt Andy would look at me or at least say ‘hi’ in the mornings. 

I was mulling this over when Hermione had knocked on the open door to my room. I’d been trying to read a book that Gran had sent about dueling basics while listening to Metallica and sitting in my beanbag. Looking over at the sound of the knock, I waved to Hermione and ushered her with a gesture before reaching over and turning down the little CD player boom box.

“You have such odd taste in music,” Hermione observed pulling over the other bean bag that Uncle Ted had gotten recently, he’d gotten Harry a second one for his room as well “I’ve heard you play everything from folk to rock and roll,” she smirked making herself comfortable “I wouldn’t be surprised if you don’t have a Enya album,” I grinned and reached into the box next to the bag and held up Enya’s self-titled debut album “figures,” Hermione shook her head at me. 

I picked up my dry erase board and wrote ‘how have you been, you letters have been vague’ and ‘why are you doing school work without me?’ I smiled when I held up the board for her to see. That second one was a jest. 

Hermione looked down at her hands for a long moment before saying “I never realized just how badly I’d hurt your feelings, you just never said,” She still wasn’t looking at me “and then you blew up on me,” I clenched my jaw at that, still angry at myself “for a while I thought, maybe, that we were better off as ‘not friends’. That we should just part ways. I mean, you’d still be friends with Harry and Neville.”

That hurt, that really hurt. The thought of it made me feel alone and my heart felt go cold and sink. It was my fault that I’d lost my best friend. Was it because I wasn’t a good enough friend, it was most certainly because I’d let the orb control me like I had. I swallowed hard and tried to blink away the tears; I should have seen this coming. 

“Hey,” Hermione kicked my bean bag to get my attention, I quickly wiped at my eyes before I looked at her “but I decided against that,” she said firmly “I was being hasty and Harry pointed out that I was the only person who didn’t get cursed at. Also that what you said was right. What Harry and I…mainly, what I did to you was be a horrible friend. I’m sorry.”

I picked up my white board again and wrote ‘stop saying sorry! It gets old and I’m tired of hearing it in respects to St. Weasley!’ my letters were slanted in haste and irritation. I started to write ‘I just want you to be a better…’ I stopped and wiped that clean and wrote ‘I am sorry that I wasn’t the better friend, I’m sorry…’ I stopped there too. Growling in frustration I finally wrote something and kept it. 

Hermione rolled her eyes “Do I want some ice cream?” she smirked and shook her head “you have hard time talking about this, don’t you.”

‘Meh…what’s so hard about talking about ice cream?’ I asked trying not to smile then wrote ‘I guess I don’t do well with this sort of thing but I’ve seriously never had friends my age before!’ when Hermione scowled playfully ‘seriously!’ I wrote in big letters.

“Can we try being friends again?” Hermione asked carefully 

I pondered this, mostly the right way to ask this question ‘what about St. Weasley?’ yea…I think Ron had found a new nickname when I was irritated with him and I was going to hold to it like a bulldog with a bone. 

Hermione moved to speak but paused for a second before say “I’ve let others influence my decisions when I should know better. I will endeavor to not to make the same mistake again.”  
….  
Gran arrived later that evening, she was pleasantly surprised to see Hermione hangout with me and reading one of the books I’d been given on dueling. The older witch didn’t stay very long though, when she found out that Aunt Andy hadn’t been around much lately. Gran had a determined look on her face and left at the same time that Jubilee arrived. 

No idea where Gran was off too but Harry had written that today was Ginny’s birthday and that the Weasleys were having a bash there at the house. I showed the letter to Uncle Ted and he grinned; saying that now would be a good time to invite the Holmes twins to meet Ginny if they were still in Scotland. He made sure to call one of the Granger elders before sending us off. 

Jubilee was happy to take a note to Aunt Bridget and Neville with an invite. Uncle Ted let Hermione and I floo to Diagon Alley with some coin for gifts while he ‘popped’ to the Weasleys to see if he could help with anything. I wasn’t sure what to get Ginny, I mean I’d never really did get the chance to really talk with her but I did know that she liked Quidditch. 

I got a couple random jerseys that were on sale, they were from older kits and taking up product space. Hermione and I bumped into Bridget and the twins when we were coming out of the Quidditch shop. They had been in Scotland having just returned from the States. Bridget mentioned that her husband, Daniel, would be coming over soon. He was part of a research company for better potions and would be the one to put the twins on the Hogwarts Express. 

The older witch had decided to carry the bigger bags filled with gift bags for me as it was hard to write with a full hand. Hermione made our shopping trip a quick one. It ended after a fast peek inside a second hand shop (because you never know what you’ll find in there), Bridget and the twins came back to the Tonks house with us. 

We went through the floo to get to the Weasleys (it was midafternoon by now), Jubilee had only returned long enough to mention something about food and then she was gone so we didn’t have her help getting there. Mrs. Weasley descended upon us like waves crashing on a beach, it was inevitable. Just like her cooing over me and my bandaged hand until Ginny came to my rescue to learn who the twins were. 

I elbowed Izzy and the girl sighed, sticking out her hand for Ginny to shake “in the silent spirit of my cousin, I’m Izzy –ridiculously middle name- Holmes,” Ginny giggled at that and shook the girl’s hand as Izzy continued “and this is my brother Lord Stinky, or Mal on a day when he has bathed.”

I grinned proudly as Aunt Bridget just shook her head, Ginny grinned “I’m Ginny Weasley, pleasure to meet you both,” she beamed “we’ve set up in the back garden and my brothers have set up a Quidditch game, want to watch?”

Mal snorted “pfft, yea! That sounds dope, chica! BOO YA!” kid really liked Quidditch. 

Ginny frowned at little at me, I just shrugged and wrote on my board ‘He’s American, go with it. You can smack him if he’s too out of hand’. Malcom scowled at me playfully, folded his arms across his chest and turned his nose up before walking out towards where the noise was. His dramatic exit was ruined when he ran into to the door frame.   
The two younger girls were giggling behind hands as the followed the boy (who was now holding his abused nose) out the door, Hermione following them. I glanced up to see that   
Aunt Bridget was grinning at her children’s antics. Then I looked back to Mrs. Weasley before writing on my board and holding it up for her to read. 

The plump woman smiled softly and shook her head “I’ve all the help I need in the kitchen, dear. Another one of your friends showed earlier, a little girl named Annie. Her mum and grandmum are in the kitchen right now along with Augusta Longbottom of all people,” she explained sweeping my bangs away from my eyes. I was going to need another hair cut before school started “why don’t you go join everyone in the garden.”

“Go,” Bridget gave me a gentle shove “have fun for at least once this summer.”   
….  
To find everyone, I just had to follow the noise. There was a game of Quidditch going on that involved even Uncle Ted and Mr. Weasley. I noticed that some of the brooms in use looked like the extra ones that had been lounging in Uncle Ted’s shed in the back garden. I sat down between Hermione and Neville on a small hillock; they were talking to a very blonde girl and Annie McKenzie. 

Hermione looked relieved that I’d finally arrived “Athena, this is Luna Lovegood and Annie McKenzie.”

“Oh, I’ve met Athena before,” Annie waved to me and then frowned at me “what’d ya do to yer hand?” 

My eyes went wide, I’d forgotten that were people who didn’t know so I wrote my board ‘mahjong tournament gone wrong’.

“What? How does that happen?” Annie looked very confused “and what’s mahjong?”

“What?” Neville and Hermione asked at the same time, Hermione caught my board before I could wipe it clean “ATHENA!” she cried before she started smacking gently with the board “you don’t tell people that!” 

I sighed dramatically and took the board back; this time I wrote ‘fine, dragon did it.’ 

Hermione rolled her eyes “she was burned by an enchanted object.”

Luna, Neville and Annie all laughed when I wrote ‘spoil sport! I had seven more answers ready!’ and held it up for them to read. 

“Oh,” Luna got her giggles under control to ask “is that why you can’t talk, the nargles say that’s why. You talk normally though? Right?” that creature sounded familiar.  
I nodded as Hermione asked “what’s a nargle?” 

Luna lit up at being asked this “their crafty little creatures who normally live in mistletoe, they can steal things too.”

I elbowed Hermione before she could question to the girl further and asked via white board ‘do you read the Quibbler?’ it Luna took a second to read the message before nodding. 

“My daddy owns the Quibbler. He reports on all manner of creatures that haven’t been identified by the magical world,” she smiled at me “and you grew up with Blake Fraser,” that made me scowl but Luna didn’t notice “he’s written and article or two for my dad.” 

At that, I capped my pen, set my board aside and looked back towards the game over. Thus ignoring the others around me; including Annie’s quizzically looks and Hermione’s little elbow nudges. I even tuned out their continued conversation.   
….  
The rest of the day was really fun. Harry caught the snitch but Ginny and Izzy won the game by the sheer number of passes she’d gotten by Ron and Mal (playing chaser) and Mr. Weasley (playing keeper). I could now see why Percy didn’t play at Hogwarts; he’d played against Harry as seeker and I don’t think he ever once had a glimpse of gold. 

I gave Harry a high five and scored him with a 6 out of 10. Five for the catch, one to be nice and told him lost points on the difficulty of the snitch setting. Harry had just smirked and held his broom out telling me to do better. That’s when St. Weasley jumped in when I refused and drew a raspberry at Harry. 

“Like she could do any better,” he muttered “there’s no one that can beat Harry.”

‘You’re just upset that I was picked to be seeker and you weren’t,’ I wrote and watched Ron snort indignantly ‘but that’s okay, we all have different skills.’

“I challenge you!” Ron cried pointing a finger at me “first to catch the snitch wins three galleons.”

“Ron,” George shook his head, Mr. Weasley and Uncle Ted had headed back inside to see what they could do to help the ladies with “not now, she’s not up to riding a broom!” 

“No, she’s just scared!” Ron snapped back 

‘Why?’ I wrote, exasperated, I didn’t want to contend with him today ‘why must you be antagonistic?’  
Ron frowned and scratched at his head “whut?”

“She’s asking why you’re being hostile,” Hermione glared at Ron “leave Athena alone.” 

Ron blinked at Hermione for a second as if he couldn’t believe that the bushy haired girl wasn’t taking his side “she started it!” he snapped pointing at me. 

With a sigh, I turned and walked away from the group with Hermione following; we headed back towards the house when Ginny smack her brother and told him to be nice. Closer to the house I found that Mr. Weasley and Uncle Ted had set up two long tables and a smaller table. The long tables looked rickety before they were covered up with table clothes and the small table already had a pile of gifts growing on it; dinner would be ready soon.   
…  
Hermione and I helped shuttle plates and food stuff towards the tables outside, I just held out my arms and let Mrs. Weasley stack things on them, Jubilee taking them from me when I reached the tables. Gran and Aunt Andy had arrived not shortly after the game had ended. They each had bright colored gifts and, surprisingly, they both greeted me with a hug. 

Somehow, during dinner before Ginny could open her presents, I got placed sitting next to Brianna’s mum. The lady was nice, very English and despite the grey in her hair she was still very spry. She was a doctor (actual muggle medical degree) and had no problem with me writing all my answers and questions out on my board, though she was curious as to how I got hurt (she was very patient and laughed as I went through my seven unused answers until we got to the truth). 

Her name was Claire Fraser and lived primarily in the States with her husband, Jamie Fraser. The conversation with her was fun and informative. She even gave me a recipe for a hand lotion that included bee’s wax, mint oil, cucumber essence, coconut oil, Vitamin E oil and aloe. Claire was very insistent the lotion would be beneficial to my hand once the burn was healed. 

Gran had sat on the other side of me and when my conversation with Claire ended, Gran picked it up. They talked over my head was I went back the food that Jubilee had cut up for me like she had been doing since I got hurt…again. Gran and Claire had a very in-depth talk about 18th century French healers, who used both herbs and magic, and they kept talking about Master Raymond and a Mother Hildegarde. 

While that was fascinating it was also boring; they were using the Latin names for the plants. So I started drawing funny pictures to get Hermione, who was across from me, to laugh. It was mostly stick figure comics but they had Hermione giggling all the same. The older women on either side of me was amused by this.   
….  
Finally it was time for Ginny to get her presents as the sun started into its twilight. What food hadn’t been devoured had been saved as left overs under Jubilee’s expert authority. I’m not sure if Mrs. Weasley was amused by this or not but she still went with it. However, once that was done, we gathered around to watch a very excited Ginny open her gifts.   
Most of what she’d gotten was assorted candies and cards, all those sent from relatives and her brothers. There were a few stand outs, like the Quidditch jerseys and a hooded jumper. I think the handsome, handmade, supple leather, charmed to wazoo for space and lightness with a little cherry stained book bag came from Gran. The transfiguration professor had the corner of her lips tweaked up when Ginny started gushing over it. 

There were various school supplies too. Full potions sets that were fully stocked, ever-sharp quills (nice ones too) and a voucher from the trunk shop; 50% off and HAPPY BIRTHDAY! The elder Weasleys were more thankful for that then Ginny was. However, the greatest gift came from Claire Fraser. 

She was the last to give Ginny a present. A flick of an adult’s wand and the excess paper was gone as Clair gracefully walked over to where the birthday girl was sitting. The older woman drew a chair close and set a very beautiful craved box in front of the girl but she kept her hand over top of it to stop Ginny for a moment. To me, the box looked like it could have been a long cigar box. 

“This came to me a long time ago,” Claire’s soft, posh English accent carried over all of us. It was very pleasing to hear “it came to me through a friend of mine who helped me through a very dark time,” Claire explained “I’d gone to France with my husband shortly after we were married. His cousin owned a vineyard there and needed someone to help run it while he was doing business in Spain. I was pregnant but ultimately lost my daughter to stillbirth. My friend saw me through the aftermath of that,” Claire’s eyes were sad even as she smiled “she was there for me even when I didn’t want to be there for myself. She gave this to me, though at the time I did not know she was a witch, she told me that a traveling seer had told her that I would be her messenger. That someday I would have the opportunity to present this to a young witch, with shocking red hair that was not of my blood. This belonged to my friend’s younger sister who was killed not long after she purchased it.”

Ginny was stoic and let Claire’s words sink in and the significance they held. When I glanced at Hermione beside me, her gaze was locked on the box and I could tell that she was   
trying to figure out what was in there. I could see the wheels turning in her head and it was fascinating to watch. 

I looked back in time to watch Ginny open the box and gasp. Almost reverently, the young girl reached out and caressed whatever was in the box before gently picking it up. To the rest of us, Ginny revealed a wand that she gave a flick to and watched as gold sparks shout out of the end. The sparks went up and blossomed into little golden butterflies that flittered their way down to rest on Ginny’s shoulders. They caressed her pale cheeks as they went and made the young girl giggle. 

Mrs. Weasley had gasped when she’d seen what her daughter had picked up and then again when the golden sparks came “but…but we can’t expect this, Mrs. Fraser. This is too much,” the mother of seven was flushing as she sputtered “we can’t pay for a wand like that….”

Claire just smiled as she reached over and patted Mrs. Weasley comfortingly on the arm “don’t worry about it,” she said and held Mrs. Weasley’s gaze “the wand was meant for your daughter and it has already chosen her. I am happy quite happy to have fulfilled a promise I made so long ago that helped me to live. As a mother, you must know the fear of losing a child,” Claire’s smile faded a bit “keep this wand safe and sound for the time I did until I had Brianna was one of the few things that helped me through that. Please, let her expect it.”

Mrs. Weasley wiped at her watery eyes before ambushing Claire in a tight embrace, effectively pulling the older woman out of her chair. Claire laughed out in surprise but expected the hug and returned it, going as far as to comfort the redheaded woman. I wondered if the hug was for a sympathy hug for the lost child and the thought Mrs. Weasley had if she were to lose any of her children. 

I looked up to Gran on my other side and saw that her eyes were misty. I slipped my bandaged wrapped hand through her arm and hugged it to me; smiling at her when she looked to me. Gran didn’t have to imagine what the loss would fell like because she knew first hand. She’d never get to see her sons again, to embrace them, to tease them or to look upon the faces of their future children. Tomas had no children and I was all that was left of Robert Bruce. Damn…now I was sad and teary eyed. 

It took a little time to get Mrs. Weasley soothed back down. At least enough that she allowed her husband to lead her away. Ginny didn’t let Claire get away because she wanted to know about the wand. It was 12 and ½ inches long East India Rosewood, made the wand streaking purplish to black. At its core was a hair from the mane of a lead mare winged unicorn, copper wrapped hand with a small, octagonal shaped ruby at the end. The gem was being held to the wand by a copper talon. 

Other things in the box included a wand cleaning kit and a very nice wand holster that had blooming roses embroidered into the dark leather. The gift was truly fit for royalty and Ginny must have felt overwhelmed by it. I wondered if Claire had ever been more hugged or thanked than right then by that little redheaded girl.   
….  
The rest of the evening was spent chasing fireflies and glowing fairy bugs. Chief adults in charge had sent us children off to play, even Percy had to go though he muttered his dislike of being called a child for which Fred and George teased him about. The bugs we kept in jars; Luna said they made great pets…the fairy bugs at least. I was doubtful of that when the little fairy Hermione and Neville had helped me catch made rather rude gestures at me from her prison. 

With the last light of the day, Fred and George surprised us with a small cage of gnomes down by the Weasley pond. The boys had fashioned little parachutes from an old sheet that Percy protested about and some pilfered string. We each took turns fling the little creatures into the air and watched them float down into the pond. 

Hermione even took a turn after I pleaded. Girl couldn’t fool me, I saw how happy she was when that little grey, foul mouthed potato when soaring into the air. She was giggling like the rest of us when the thing splashed down. Hermione smacked me playful when I pointed this out. 

When we finally returned to the house with our fairy bug jars and muttering, soggy gnomes marching single file we found that tents had been set up. Mr. Weasley had had the grand idea that we all needed to stay over and camp. I think it was Uncle Ted and Brianna who ended up getting the homemade tents set up, Mr. Weasley looked far too excited to have helped. 

After ghost stories and smores, I crawled into the tent I shared with Hermione. Grinning up at the ceiling of the tent I decided that this had been a good day. It hadn’t been my day but I had made peace with Hermione and Aunt Andy was actually interacting with me now. Yep…this had been a good day.


	9. The Return…

The day after Ginny’s birthday, Hogwarts letters arrived for the Weasleys, Neville, Harry, Luna and Annie. Gran had left the night before like, Lady Longbottom, Claire and Brianna had, leaving Annie and Neville to spend the night. I bet Gran planned that so the fleet of owls would arrive at breakfast. 

Also arriving then was the order of Lock-brain’s books. The delivery guy couldn’t say who’d paid for the books just there was a note about getting the books on discount and sending the books back would help no one. There was no name to thank and Uncle Ted, Harry and I kept our silence. Quite literally in my case but Hermione was giving me side glances and trying not to smile about the good deed done. 

I did feel bad for the delivery man, he had basically flee Mrs. Weasley when she came after him with a rolling pin in her hand (she’d been making breakfast rolls) demanding to know who’d bought the books. The man disapparated at a run as he jumped over the Weasley’s fence. I held up my board with a solid 10. He hadn’t cocked that up, so full points for difficulty, height of the jump and not leaving bits behind. 

It was around noon when Uncle Ted, Aunt Andy, Hermione and I finally left. Harry wanted to stay for a while longer and Neville got permission to stay via Jubilee’s messenger service. Thus it was decided that Harry, at least, would stay until it was time to go to Diagon Alley in a week. After that would be another discussion.   
….  
That week after Ginny’s part flew by somewhat quickly. Aunt Andy wasn’t as distant as she had been but she also wasn’t telling me why she had been. She’d taken the time to get caught up with Healer Strout about my hand during my weekly visit to St. Mungo’s. Jubilee went along this time and made the amused healers show her how to redo my wrappings.   
As for my hand it was still gross looking and stiff. We were given another satchel filled with potions and bandages and the empty satchel from before was returned. I finally got a letter from Angie. She’d spent the summer in the very southern part of France visiting her mum’s family and only had recently returned. Why was everyone having a better summer than me? 

Angie actually freaked out after she’d read my letter and the one that George had sent her that had more info than the one I’d sent her, and she came to my house! Aunt Andy and Nym were very amused by Angie’s arrival and the bubble wrap that Angie brought with her. They helped her wrap me in it; then Mr. and Mrs. G got a laugh when they and Hermione arrived for movie night.   
….  
Finally it came time to go to Diagon Alley. Ugh! This couldn’t have come sooner? After this was two more weeks of summer and then we’d be off to Hogwarts; beautiful and hopefully boring as hell Hogwarts. The Grangers arrived early because they’d decided to take up the offer of using our floo instead of driving into London. 

Aunt Andy apparated with me to Diagon directly as I still couldn’t speak and going through two at a time could risky. We went directly into Gringotts because there was some business that Aunt Andy wanted to get out of the way before we met up with Nym (who’d gotten the day off) and the rest of our party. 

Griphook didn’t ask about my hand and he only raised an eyebrow when I answered via dry erase board. They had me looking over investments and other things I really didn’t understand but I still had to give my approval about because I was heir and Sirius was in Azkaban. First thing I approved was the investment in a small broom shop who wanted to try using a different spell to make brooms go zoom. Second was to approve a small investment in an apothecary in Pairs that wanted to expand to Rome because Aunt Andy said it was a good deal. 

It was harder to cut investments, like one to a company that we’d been investing in for decades that had books that were starting to look shadier as the more they were looked over. I just gaped when I learned that Malfoy Inc. had bought that business in question and that when the books went wonky. Aunt Andy was very firm on doing as little business with her brother-in-law as possible. 

Maybe that’s why her grip on my good hand tightened when we came out of Griphook’s office and was hailed by a smooth drawl “Andromeda, I was hoping to run into you.”  
Lucius looked way too pleased with himself as he and Draco ambled over to us. I waved to Draco and smiled, the blonde boy just gave a small wave back and glanced at his father to see if the man had noticed. He hadn’t because he was too busy in a glare-off with Aunt Andy.

“Lord Malfoy,” Aunt Andy’s tone was cold and I wondered what had prompted that, I looked to Draco for a clue but he refused to look at me “you’ll have to excuse us, we’re on a time constraint to meet up with my husband and daughter. Good day.”

She tried to push us past him but the blonde man blocked our path with a cane across my chest “now, is that any way to treat family?” he asked smoothly “especially when we’ve business venture in the works?”

“I already told you that wasn’t happing,” Aunt Andy hissed dangerous “after what you did you’re very lucky to walking properly and that you’re a lord!” 

Lucius just smirked and looked to me, I was pinching the cane between my thumb and forefinger to remove it “maybe I should be talking to the heir instead of the proxy.”  
I raised an eyebrow at him and just blinked, that was a dumb thing to say “I have all the same powers as Sirius would,” Aunt Andy growled “talking to Athena wouldn’t get you anywhere but to smart remarks.” 

The blonde man dismissed Aunt Andy as he smiled at me “perhaps you are smarter than your daft aunt,” he almost sneered but held his face to a polite pose “Malfoy Inc. is looking to break into the dragon manure trade. We want to work with the Blacks invest and breathe life into this shipping endeavor. It would be very lucrative for both our families.”

I sighed heavily and quickly wrote on my board ‘sounds like a shitty smuggling job. I’m not dumb I know criminal keywords. Lucrative = illegal and shipping = smuggling’, I smirked at him when I held the board up. Draco’s eyes bugged out and Aunt Andy actually laughed while Lucius’s face turned a nasty shade of red. 

“How dare you insult me like that!” he growled and moved to slap me with his cane but Aunt Andy stopped him, she’d caught the shaft of the cane before it could hit me. 

She got right into his face and snarled “don’t you ever try that again or I will castrate you! I thought you were smarter than that, Lu-Lu,” she taunted treacherously “what would Wizengamot think when I drag you before them for hitting my niece and the future Lady Black?” Aunt Andy laughed at him as Lucius ground his teeth “I can guarantee you that Athena already has more friends on that council than you do, Malfoy. You ever try to touch her again and what I’ll do to you would make Bellatrix swell with pride at the viciousness of it; she’d only be disappointed that she didn’t get to do it herself.”

I didn’t know that Lucius Malfoy could look any paler as Aunt Andy shouldered pass him and pulled me with her; I gave a quick wave to Draco over my shoulder. It was interesting, I thought, that was probably the first time that Bellatrix being my mother was a positive in an argument. I kind of liked that and I looked up at Aunt Andy, who was still huffing, and grinned. 

Hermione was waiting out on the steps with her parents, Uncle Ted and Nym. Before we could get to them, Hermione suddenly shouted and raced down the steps towards a dirty dark haired boy and Hagrid. I followed slowly behind with my hands in the pockets of my jacket wondering where the Weasleys were and what happened to Harry’s glasses. 

“Hullo, Athena,” Hagrid greeted when I was close enough “now we just need Ron and Neville for a full house.”

I waved to Hagrid and fell in beside Hermione as she fussed over Harry “how’d you get so dirty and where’s the Weasley.”

“Oh! I see them,” Hagrid called and pointed with his unburden hand towards the crowd, he was carrying a tin jug in the other “there!”

“Harry!” Mrs. Weasley arrived first, scowling when she saw the saw the state of the messy haired boy “oh, look at the state of you!” she started brushing at him with a small brush from her purse.

“Where’d you end up, Harry?” Mr. Weasley asked as the group up the stairs started towards us

“Knockturn Alley,” Harry said before looking my way (the twins were geeking out over this and being glared at by their mum) “saw the Malfoys at Borgin and Burks.”

“Really? That place is dark artifacts central,” Mr. Weasley was very fascinated by what Harry had “buy or were they selling anything?”  
Harry shrugged “just selling but it was just Mr. Malfoy and Draco.”

“They made it here ahead of you, Harry,” Aunt Andy sighed before she drew her wand and fixed Harry’s glasses with a flick of her wand “we are seriously going to have to get you into St. Mungo’s for a checkup. Wizard your age shouldn’t be needing glasses, even if it’s genetics.”  
….  
We split up then, not sure why the parents left us to roam on our own but they did with a strict order to meet them at Flourish and Blotts in an hour. Not that it mattered because all Harry and I needed were our text books and robes. So, as it stood, Mr. Weasley went to have a drink with Uncle Ted and the Grangers (the Weasley Patriarch was a little to fascinated with them being muggles), Aunt Andy went with Mrs. Weasley and Ginny. Percy went with the twins and I dragged Nym with Harry, Hermione, Ron and me. 

“Where’s Neville?” Hermione asked reading the question I’d written down for her 

Harry looked back he stepped towards the ice cream shop “he wasn’t able to come today, something about his Gran. Not sure.”

I just nodded as Nym linked her arm with mine and asked in a whisper what flavor ice cream I wanted. Strawberry with chocolate sauce and banana bits was always the best; Nym knew this was my favorite. Which is why I just rolled my eyes at her and gave her a look that made her laugh. Harry paid for the ice cream despite Nym’s protest. 

Slowly we made our way round the shops, finding trashcans once our sundaes were finished. Hermione got her new quills and notebooks while Ron drooled over brooms. We did make it to the robe shop and then it was time to head to the bookstore. I groaned when we got there as there was a sign there that announced that Lock-brain would be doing a book signing for his autobiography. 

“Oh my!” Hermione squealed “we actually get to meet him!”

Ron, Harry, Nym and I gave Hermione very big frowns as she hurried in past a very harassed wizard. This was going to suck and both Ron and Harry agreed when I wrote this out to them, Ron actually smirked when he seen what I was calling the writing fraud. The three of us took big breathes and waded into the chaos. 

We found Mrs. Weasley first, Nym had wondered off, as she was waiting in line to have a copy of Magical Me signed. She just sighed when Ron got walked over top of by a bloke carrying a camera and saying he was with one of the newspapers. The matron just sighed and told us to go find our other text books and she’d meet up with us in the stacks, or the other parents rooming the store would find us. 

We turned, I was sniggering at Ron a little that his mum fancied Gilderglow, of course I’d written this down. He knew it was playful just like I knew the little shove he gave me was playful. The heavy and grasping hand that landed on my left shoulder as I eluded Ron’s shove back to the other side of Harry, however, was not playful and neither was my response. 

There was no room to push the hand away and take a big step to get of the reach of the person touching me. I really wasn’t liking this touching thing and after the summer I had, I took option B for getting out of it. I brought up my right hand, locking the intruding hand in place as I lifted up my elbow in a tight grip. 

My motions were a blur then, as I twist and wrapped my left arm around the grabber’s arm and took my right hand to the bigger person’s shoulder. The move forced the grabber to bend with his arm in my hold, trying to get away as I was straining his elbow and shoulder. A little more force, I really didn’t like being touched at the moment, and I dislocated the blonde man’s shoulder.

“Huh,” my voice was scratchy and a little uneven from disuse “Fraser was right,” I smirked as the man went to his knees with a gasp, his blue eyes wide and looking at me in disbelief “that will dislocate a bloke’s shoulder. Maybe you shouldn’t grab people, yea?”

“ATHENA!” Uncle Ted cried from nearby and I let the man go. He was shoving through the crowd to get to me, when he got to us his eyes flicked from me to the man. Uncle Ted growled and literally picked the blonde man up by the front of his robes “what did you do to my niece?” he demanded with a snarl, his brown eyes flashing with deadly intent. Lockhart’s arm hung weirdly and loosely at his side.

“He grabbed my shoulder,” I said rubbing at my throat, it felt itchy now that it was returning to usage “surprised me.”

My family and friends looked stunned that I had spoken but Harry recovered quickly “I think he was reaching for me, Uncle Ted.”

Uncle Ted lowered the fearful man, setting him back on his feet “here’s an idea, Lockhart, why don’t you keep your hands to yourself, eh?” Uncle Ted was very menacing and very intimidating at the moment as he was at his full height with his muscles bulging, though all he did was to reach out and straighten Lockhart’s robes “shouldn’t go grabbing kids, yea, some of us might take offense to that. You should probably get that arm looked at,” he said before leaving the trembling and dumbfounded man to usher Harry, Ron and me away from the gawking crowd. 

“What was that?!” Ron hissed as we go further from the crowded area of the store, heading to where most of the Weasley family had gathered ahead of us “what did you do to him?”

I shrugged “instinct and joint relocation, hummm…so weird, talking feels weird. Like it’s a rumbling in my throat.” 

Uncle Ted turned me to face him as he knelt down to look me in the eyes “are you really alright? Are you hurt?”

I looked to my hand and found the bandage clean, so I said “no, I’m fine. He just startled me is all and I got my voice back.” 

Aunt Andy had made her way over by now, grasping my chin gently to make me look up at her “how do you feel?” she asked 

“Meh…a little scratchy of the throat but better than Lock-brain.” I shrugged and grinned when she chuckled before pulling me to her in a tight embrace. 

Uncle Ted stood and ruffled my hair as he suggested “why don’t you and the others stay here and we’ll go get your books. If we’d know that wanker was here I would have said a different day for this,” he scowled slightly “this is nothing but chaos.”   
….  
The section of the store that we’d taken up residence in for the moment was the section for magical creatures, specifically water beasts and spells. Why the spells were here was beyond me, of course it’s not like the magical world does the Dewy Decimal System. I’d found several that I wanted, including one on creatures of the Scottish Lochs and another   
that was about the history of water spells (everything to do with water magic in general). 

I was looking through one about spells and water when I heard Lucius Malfoy’s smooth drawl. That wasn’t good. I snapped the book shut, added it to others that I handed to George on my way past to get to Harry. Lucius had him by the arm and was touching him with his cane; Draco watching from the stairs beside them. 

“…increases fear of a thing itself,” I caught the last bit of Hermione’s brazen proclamation as I came to stand beside her. 

“Lord Malfoy,” I scratched out before looking about at all who was gathered, I was really going to have to do something about that “what were we talking about?” 

“Voldemort,” Harry smirked when the elder Malfoy growled at him “we were talking about how Lord Malfoy can’t believe I defeated the man.”

I inhaled deeply “oh,” I said letting the breath out “is that all? Chatting about the Dark Ass-hat,” I shook my head, Lord Malfoy growled lowly “I thought that pathetic bag of sand was old news,” I raised an eyebrow at the very irate lord “don’t we have better things to do with our time than to dreg up failed, self-centered, poorly educated, racist, psychopathic serial killers?” 

Uncle Lucius looked like he was seriously looked like he wanted to smack me, his knuckles were turning white on his cane. Leave it to me to be making someone cross within an hour of getting my voice back. It was worth it, though, to see the look in his eyes; man was a total Death Eater. 

What I hadn’t counted on was the fight it’d cause between Mr. Weasley and Lucius. Maybe the if blond lord wouldn’t have insulted Ginny and her second hand books that she’d gotten, taking them out of her newer cauldron and lazily tossing the books back in. I was so rooting for Mr. Weasley as I pulled Ginny and Hermione back when Mr. Weasley cold cocked Lord Malfoy; just sucker punched him. 

Uncle Ted and Mr. Granger tore the two men apart when they started rolling around on the floor, using swear words and badly coordinated punches. These two were better off sticking to wands and not fists. There were no words between the two before Lord Malfoy wiped the blood from his chin and left, pulling Draco with him. 

I broke the silence left in the wake of the disappearing lord, I had an arm over both Ginny and Hermione’s shoulders “go Mr. Weasley! That was wicked. Though, next time keep your wrist straight and your hand loose. Lucky you didn’t break your hand.” 

“Of course you’d know how to hit someone,” Hermione scoffed folding her arms across her chest and Ginny giggled “and you’d give that advice with the first dozen words or so you’ve spoken.” 

I just grinned at her and shrugged. Uncle Ted just rolled his eyes at me and ushered me to him. The man really wanted to get out of the bookstore; he scowled playfully when I retrieved my wanted books from George. Everyone else was filed out the front door as Uncle Ted seen me to the checkout.   
…  
Healer Strout and Gran were very happy to learn that I’d gotten my voice back, maybe not because of the how but they were pleased none the less. Gran found out because I’d written her and both women had found out what I’d done to Lockhart because it’d been in the paper. Showed him grabbing my shoulder from behind and then me doing what I did. 

I was back at St. Mungo’s with my hand in its weekly vortex bath while Strout was checking my throat. The healer was a bit worried that my vocal cords had tightened up from disuse or had been damaged because of the different magicks I’d experienced this summer. When she was satisfied there was no damage then she and Aunt Andy moved off to start talking about how my treatment would work once I was back at Hogwarts. I ended up reading one of the medical tomes that was in reach of where I was setting because I got bored waiting for them.   
….  
Hermione and I finished out the last bit of summer the same way we had the summer previous. Except that Hermione read Harry and me Lock-brain’s books because I refused to, she loved reading aloud. The girl took great delight in that. I was almost jealous of Harry when he was allowed to escape to the Weasley house for the reminder of the holiday.   
It felt different to be packing to go back to Hogwarts, Hermione had gone home by now to do her own packing. Nym came by to help on the last night before we were to leave for King’s Cross. Once the trunk was packed, both to Jubilee and Aunt Andy’s satisfaction, Nym had snuck in my broom and Quidditch gear and a small record player with a shrunken box full of records (stupid magical world for not liking modern tech, a CD player would have been easier and took less space). 

Nym stayed up late with me with junk food and soda whilst hiding in the blanket fort that was becoming a permanent fixture in my room. The older girl used magic to bring to life stories using little different colored sparks morphed into the various characters. We made our own sound effects. 

Jubilee woke us the next morning and rushed us all (the elder Tonks included) through breakfast so we could get to the car. It was then I realized that I had no idea where Tiberius was. I had the feeling that he wasn’t in trouble or I’d be freaking out and feeling a lot guiltier than I already was; it was very possible that the cat was with Hermione. Aunt Andy promised to keep an eye out for the Roman cat. 

We arrived not too far behind the Grangers, Uncle Ted was able to snag the parking spot next to their car. I frowned a little when I saw that Hermione didn’t have a cat carrier with her. Nym whispered that the cat would show at some point and Gorgo trilled in agreement from her cage on top of my trunk on the trolley. 

I was about to respond when a blue Ford Anglia (probably the 1966 model) pulled in beside us in the last empty spot. Nym, Hermione and I gaped as the Weasley family plus Harry exited the car like they were professional clowns doing a trick. The greatest bit was when they started unloading trunks and cages from the boot.

“But that’s not possible,” I complained pointing a lazy finger at the car “right?”

Nym chuckled and whispered in my ear “magic, little cousin.”  
….  
Nym walked causally with me through the barrier to Platform 9¾. She had an arm over my shoulder and made it seem like we were just crossing from one side of a platform to the other. We were demonstrating to Annie, who was with Roger and Jem (Brianna had taken Amanda to the states for school), and Luna; who was with her father. Mr. Lovegood was a strange man, he kept asking me if I could see some creature that appeared to those had known true rage. Luna looked apologetic so I didn’t turn on the man. 

We found Izzy standing beside a shorter man than I was expecting to Daniel Holmes to be. He was a willowy man with sandy brown hair and blue eyes, his chin would have just reached Bridget’s shoulder. He asked me to call him Uncle Danny or just Danny would work as he knew I was having trouble calling Bridget aunt at times. 

When nobody was looking, Danny grinned and slipped a shrunken box of those rare Chocolate Frogs into my pocket and whispered to just give it a tap with my wand. Seems his whole department where his works had pitched in for the extra-large box after seeing the Daily Prophet and how I’d handled Lockhart. They all thought it was brilliant. I was really starting to like Danny. 

Our conversation was ended when the train whistle was blown. Between the Weasley twins, their father, Nym, Uncle Ted and Mr. Granger all the trunks and animal cages were aboard train just like we now needed to be. We waved one last goodbye and I felt like something was missing other than my cat. 

“HEY!” I leaned out the door of the train when it started moving, holding on to the hand rail, the group of adults looked back “WHERE’S HARRY AND RON? THEY DIDN’T GET ON THE TRAIN WITH US!” 

Started comprehension dawned on the faces of the gathered parental units. I saw them starting to look around and calling about for the boys. The shout hurt my throat and I was rubbing at it as I headed worried towards the compartment Mal had chosen for us. It was a tight squeeze with the Holmes twins, Annie, Luna, Ginny (who was holding a strange looking cat), Hermione, Neville (who’d finally decided to show) and myself. 

I had just sat down and was running over our time on the platform to try and remember if I had actually seen the two boys at all. They’d been at the back of our little pack for some reason. I was rerunning it when I happened to look up at the cat in Ginny’s lap. It was a black cat with gold markings but they were the same style of markings that Tiberius had had and in the same place but his had been silver.

“Tiberius?!” I asked loudly, very much confused 

The black cat looked smugly and meowed at me as he leaned into Ginny. He was purring loudly and kneading the girl’s thigh. I just gaped at the cat and forgot about Harry as I was trying to think back to what changing colors meant. Why the hell didn’t I read that book? I’ve read every other book I could get my hands on sans Lock-brain’s.

“Is he your cat?” Ginny asked catching my attention “he showed up the day after my birthday, lounging on my bed with a book about shadow cats. His markings turned gold and the book says that means he’s chosen his human to be a familiar too.”

Hermione looked just as flummoxed as I did “he chose you, Ginny.”

“You little traitor!” I cried and started laughing when Tiberius hissed at me “I knew I should have read that damn book!”

“Do…do you want him back?” Ginny asked and yelped when Tiberius sunk his claws into her thigh in protest “hey!”

“Pfft…” I shook my head “like that’d do us any good, you’re his human now. Just know that his name is Tiberius the Roman cat and I was apparently a bad pet owner.”

“You are very accepting of this,” Neville frowned “why?”

I frowned sheepishly “well, it wasn’t until this morning that I actually remembered that I owned a cat. The events of this summer sort of made me distracted, I just remember Gorgo because she makes noise and delivers letters and steals my bacon,” as in agreement with me, Gorgo shrieked from her cage above us. I smirked and pointed to her as if this proved my point. The compartment descended into laughter. 

It was fun as Neville, Hermione and I bestowed what wisdom we’d learned last year to these upcoming first years. Telling them about the ghosts, the best way to avoid getting too far into Snape’s ire and how best to avoid Peeves. This was keeping my mind of worrying about Harry and St. Weasley.

“You know,” Luna was scratching at Tiberius’s ears “I would have thought Harry would have joined us.”

“Yea, and my brother,” Ginny frowned “they just decided to spend the ride with someone else?”

“Err…yea, that’s it,” I nodded, snapping my fingers and pointing to Ginny “they decided to ride with some other Gryffindors.” 

Neville and Hermione saw through my misdirection and got looks of concern. Hermione leaned over and asked in a whisper “what’s going on?”

“I think they missed the train,” I whispered back “I don’t remember seeing them on the Platform before we boarded the train. The parents know because I shouted it to them as we were pulling out.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Hermione hissed 

I shrugged and breathed back “what can we do but worry? You know that they’ll be found with that group looking.” 

That seemed to make sense to Hermione because she leaned back and started talking about proper study habits earning more points for the house cup. I answered Neville’s questions via dry erase board that I’d gotten use to carrying everywhere. That evolved into tic-tac-toe and then into hangman with the rest of the compartment.


	10. Now reaching Hogsmeade Station, last stop Hogwarts…

The Honeyduke’s Express was a very interesting experience for the incoming first years. It was a bit like early Christmas for them as Neville and I bought seven of everything to be shared around the compartment, along with several bottles of pumpkin juice and one apple cider for me; I still hadn’t acquired that taste for pumpkin juice.   
There was a bit of trading the Chocolate Frog, which reminded me of the box that Danny had given me back at King’s Cross. It regrew like he said it would, just tapped it with my wand. Even Hermione was excited to see the box, she’d acquired a liking for the different flavored chocolate last year between her birthday and mine. There was enough frogs for two apiece and then the real trading began. 

Thirty minutes before we reached the station, Hermione announced that it was time to change into our school robes. Neville and Mal went to the loo to change, we girls changed there in the compartment with the door locked and the curtains drawn. We stood with our backs to each other. There was a reason that I put on the slacks and white button shirt when I got up this morning. 

It took some coaxing for Tiberius to go back in his cage, actually that coaxing ended up being me shoving him in while yowled and clawed in protest. I felt very accomplished when I handed Ginny back her cage. Then helped with the getting of trunks, or struggled more like. Hermione ended that…swish, flick and proper enunciation.   
….  
The station as utter chaos and noisy as any merchant street with the excited clamor of students struggling with trunks, animals protesting and Hagrid shouting for the first years. It was almost beautiful chaos, would have better if it hadn’t been so loud. Angie came from nowhere (probably behind me) and slid her arm over my shoulders.

“This way, little lion,” she grinned and guided me past the growing stack of trunks and animal cages “why didn’t you come find me on the train?”  
I shrugged “miscommunication.”

“Oi!” she cried “when’d you get your voice back?”

Sliding my arm around her waist, I grinned up at my pseudo-sister “when I dislocated Gilderglow Lock-brain’s arm at Flourish and Blotts.”

Angie scowled at me and gently pushed me away “that was so mean, Athena!” she chided me and tweaked my nose when quirked an eyebrow at her “he only wanted a photo with him and Harry before he announced he was our new Defense professor.”

I stopped walking “say what?” I cried in dismay “what is that fraudulent pen jockey going to teach? Lying to Your Editor 101?” 

Hermione harrumphed the same harrumph that came from the three Gryffindor chasers. The four of them crawled into a carriage that was pulled by a skeleton like horse with wings and told us to take the next one. Neville even looked confused while Fred and George just shook their heads. 

“Frist thing you need to know about girls, Whiskers, is that they can make irrational decisions when famous people are involved,” George patted me on the shoulder “best just to let them have their fancies.”

I looked up at him and cried in confusion “but I’m a girl!” 

The twins just smiled and Fred said softly as another weird horse pulling an empty carriage came to the loading spot “you’re different but that’s okay.”

“What’d ya mean, different?” I asked clambering up behind them 

George simply replied “you’ll figure it out,” he assured me “when you do, you’ll still be Whiskers to us. When the day comes that you figure out, we’ll be here for you, Whiskers.”

I just gaped at the pair of them, trying to figure out what the hell they were on about. Neville just shrugged because he was confused as well. The twins turned the conversation then, asking about how I was able to hurt Lockhart the way I had. This conversation filled the time until we’d reached the castle. 

Gran…err, or was it back to McGonagall now, I’d have to ask. She smiled at me, regardless, and gave me a quick side hug before ushering us in and checking our names off a list. Before I got the chance to mention Harry and Ron, we were pushing pushed along by the next bunch of students behind us. 

Hermione only acknowledged me with a nod as I sat down next to her before she returned to her conversation with Lavender and Eloise. Not even Angie, Katie or Alicia would speak with me. George just laughed when I looked to him, he just tapped his nose before he started a betting pool on which first year was going where. 

The hall quieted when McGonagall slipped into the Great Hall through a side door carrying a small stool and a hat that was humming. I felt excited but frowned when I looked up to see two pairs of lights flash across the glass windows near the ceiling. There are no words to describe how…how shocked, astonished…dumbfounded I felt when the lights swerved and I could clearly see a familiar blue car. 

“Divines Above!” I blinked in astonishment, not quite sure that’s what I really saw “that was a flying car! Oh, divines, I bet that was Potter and Weasley!” 

“What?” Fred and George asked at the same time that the noise level of the hall rose drastically, I wasn’t the only one who’d seen the lights. 

Blinking still, I looked over to the twins “I kid you not, boys, I think I just saw your dad’s flying car go past the upper windows.”

“I bet you did,” Fred said and pointed towards the teacher’s table; Neville, Hermione and I looked to where Snape was hurrying from his seat and scurried off towards a side door “Snape’s never done that before.”

“Quiet, please!” Dumbledore’s voice echoed through the hall and the chattering stopped quickly “alright then, welcome back, my old hands. Now is the time to be quiet as Professor McGonagall leads the first years in.” 

The Hall was deathly quiet and all heads turned towards the tall doors that Gran…damn, McGonagall, stood beside. When there was the appropriate hush, the tall witch in green robes exited through the doors only to return a few moments later leading a group of huddled together First Years. 

Their eyes were all big and round and expressive as each of them tried to take everything in, from the banners over the tables, the hovering candles and the enchanted ceiling. For a second I could hear Hermione’s declaration that she’d read about the ceiling in Hogwarts: A History. It made me smile to remember as the First Years went past us.   
McGonagall was standing before them now at the stool with the singing hat. That hat couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket, I mean if it had hands which it didn’t which just proved my point even further. There was a cheer when the song was done, most cheering for the hat but I was cheering because it was over. 

The first boy to come to Gryffindor was named Colin Creevy. A little mousy-brown headed boy with very happy brown eyes had rushed to our table after the hat had shouted ‘Gryffindor’ after the hat had taken its time in deciding. He sat down with his cheeks looking very rosy at the all the attention being poured on him. 

I saw Gran smiling tenderly as she called Izzy’s name, her eyes ever leaving the girl as she made her way up. There was a great possibility Izzy and Mal wouldn’t end up in the same house, the Patil twins were evidence of that. I sincerely hoped that Izzy and Mal ended up in the same house. 

However, that seemed unlikely when the hat yelled ‘RAVENCLAW’ because I knew that’s not where Mal was going. I still cheered very loudly, the Weasley twins as well, as Izzy made her way to the Ravenclaw table. Hermione and Neville were not as loud but they were cheering too. Through the crowd I caught Izzy’s eye and gave her two…a thumb at least.   
Next was Malcom. He strode very purposely towards the stool. The boy folded his arms across his chest and smirked when the hat groaned loudly. Finally, the hat yelled ‘GRYFFINDOR!’ and Mal looked proud of himself as he hugged Gran and then danced his way over to us. He sat down between me and Neville, basking in the attention and whispered to me that hat really wanted to put him in Slytherin but couldn’t. 

Luna went the next of our friends to be called, the hat barely touching her head before it yelled ‘RAVENCLAW!’ and the girl was off. She was ginning as she took the seat next Izzy. The two friends beamed happily that they weren’t alone. 

Annie jumped when her name was called and tentiaviely she made her way to the stool. I was very curious as to where Annie would go. There was no obvious choice for her which was probably why hat took longer than expected. Finally the hat mumbled something before shouting ‘HUFFLEPUFF!’ and the girl looked relived and worried at the same time. Shyly, Annie got up and headed for her new table once the hat was off her head. It was nice to see the puffs welcome Annie with open arms. 

The very last person to be called was Ginny. I was wondering why she even had to wear the hat, she was destined for Gryffindor. Just like her brothers and her parents. Even the hat knew this and didn’t even really bother settling on Ginny’s ginger head before shouting for all to hear ‘GRYFFINDOR!’ before promptly turning back into to a regular ugly witch’s hat. 

Gran and Dumbledore disappeared after the Dumbledore started the feast. They left through a side door and didn’t return for a long time afterwards. Best theory was that it was because of the flying car and was definitely driven by Ronald Bilious Weasley. Snape returned first (he didn’t look…well, he looked less happy than he normally did) and then Gran and the headmaster. 

“Think they murdered Harry and Ron?” I asked looking up at the head table “could have buried them in Greenhouse 3.”

“No,” Fred and George said at once and George explained “Snape doesn’t look happy enough for that to have happened.”   
….  
Before leaving the Great Hall, I got the password to the Fat Lady’s portrait and then made my way towards the infirmary with Hermione as company. Madam Pompfrey had already been informed about my hand but she still scowled when she seen it in person. Hermione kept me occupied while my hand was put in the solution for a quick rinse, which hurt because it wasn’t as gentle as the longer treatment. 

I so was very happy to leave Madam Pompfrey’s House of Pain, my hand re-wrapped and feeling tingly. Hermione linked her arm with mine as we headed towards the Gryffindor tower. I was staving off a yawn, we were nearly there, when Hermione gave a shout. She’d found Harry and Ron. 

“Where’ve you two been?” she asked the two boys who’d been standing dumbly in front of the painting “there’s been these crazy and preposterous rumors going about,” Hermione elbowed me and I frowned at her “that you two had flown a car here and been expelled for it.”

Harry shifted uncomfortably “not expelled but given detention…err…what’s the password?” he asked pointing towards the waiting portrait

“You drove a flying car!” Hermione shrieked “are you nuts?”

Ron growled and snapped “skip the lecture and just give us the bloody password! Hey!” he protested when I reached out and slapped him gently.

I pointed a finger at him “hey, you don’t talk to Hermione like that! Just because you were idiots and didn’t wait around at the parents to find you doesn’t mean you get to take it out on Hermione,” I snapped at him “it’s your own damn fault for getting in trouble. It is possible to floo from your house to either McGonagall’s office or The Three Broomsticks; or take a damn portkey. Now apologize to Hermione or we’re going to stand out here all damn night or until someone on the other side opens the portal.” 

Ron was seething but relented when Harry elbowed him “I’m sorry, Mione. I shouldn’t have said that. Now may we please have the new password?”

Hermione beamed at him “thank you, Ronald and the password is ‘wattlebird’.”

The portrait swung open and we were blasted with noise. Everyone was congratulating Harry and Ron on making one hell of an entrance. Crashing a flying car into the Whomping Willow and not getting expelled was definitely going to become a Gryffindor legend. 

I made my way through the slew of Harry and Ron’s fans and made my way up to the dorms. They were the same from last year except that the first years got what had been the seventh year dorms last year. 

Jubilee’s efforts could already be felt. The room was warm, my own blankets were on the neatly made bed (like she’d done for the rest of the girls), trunks had been unpacked and the wardrobes were organized neatly. This year, Jubilee had put up privacy screens for each girl, each one had a different image painted on it. Looking behind mine, it had pale castle with a herd of winged horses in a field below, I found my clothes hamper. 

“You girls be hitting puberty and I found helpful pamphlets,” Jubilee said after she popped in, her speech had improved drastically since last year. I scowled at her puberty comment, I’d already experienced that horrible surprise that I wasn’t warned about while recovering in July and it was promised never to be mentioned (Mother Nature is a bitch!) “I set them up for all the dorms, all years. Why no elf put them up before, crazy. Here,” she held out my nightly potion “drink, drink then to bed. Classes tomorrow and you not get good sleep last night. Bad Nym keeping my human up longer than she need be.”

Hermione giggled from across the room and then gasped when she saw her divider that was painted with cherry trees in bloom “oh, Jubilee, did you do this?”  
Jubilee shrugged “meh…” I grinned at that, she’d learned that from me “got Hogwarts elves busy and not take them long to put them together. Some of them have good hand for the colors. Very competitive, too, for the different houses. The pale floating ones played judge, Slytherin won,” Jubilee scowled deeply and clenched her fist dramatically “but we shall be victorious for the costumes!”

I started laughing “you’ve been watching movies with Uncle Ted, haven’t you?” I asked grinning, a moment of happiness before I down a disgusting potion “yuckity yuck!”

Jubilee just grinned before she took the empty potions bottle and popped away. Hermione shook her head before digging in my trunk for my radio and sat it on the study table, she’d oohed over the record player but left it for another time. She clicked it the radio on low volume to a folk station as Eloise, Parvati and Lavender arrived. They gushed over the dividers. 

Eloise had gotten the Eiffel Tower and Paris in a nightscape. Lavenders had fuzzy puppies and Parvati had weeping willow by a creek (not sure what that was about) but the girls seemed to really like the dividers. 

“Did you lot get this pamphlet behind the privacy thing?” Lavender asked, it’d been sitting on a small table beside the clothes hamper, she’d just come back from changing into her pjs like I was heading to do. I’d miss the table on the first look through.

Parvati sounded off next “12 Useful Spells for Growing Girls,” she read title as she came out from behind her divider “oh…” she blushed “it’s for dealing with our monthlies.”  
I growled softly “fuck Mother Nature,” I muttered and could still hear Gran and Bridget’s chuckles the last time I’d expressed that sentiment.

“Oh, my mum taught me number four,” Eloise said sitting down on her bed “to clean up messes on your clothes and such.”

Hermione was blushing as she looked over her pamphlet when I came out in my sleeping clothes. I couldn’t believe the girls were actually talking about this, moreover was the fact they were trying to drag me into the conversation. My responses were Forge’s roars and an unamused glare. They all thought that was funny for some reason, I was not amused. AT ALL!  
….  
Wednesday morning, the next morning, was officially horrible and vile. The girls had stayed up talking about their mum’s suggested tips for dealing with their monthlies while I’d shut my bed curtains tightly. Thought about casting a silent charm on them but that would have taken effort and the potion Jubilee gave me worked to put me to sleep (that was a side effect).

Harry’s disposition hadn’t been pleasant, Ron’s wasn’t any better and Neville was trying to remember what he’d forgotten to pack. The ceiling was dull and grey and the worst…the worst bit was Hermione reading one of Lock-brain’s books with it leaning up against the jug I’d been wanting to get milk out of but she wouldn’t let me. 

Sure enough, Neville got a package with the morning mail. He got it just before something crashed into Hermione’s jug, splattering all of us within its vicinity with milk and feathers. I just gaped and blinked, my clothes drenched and I smiled like disgusting wet bird. 

“What the FUCK!” I growled wiping at my face “what the frickity fracking, hopping brown cow’s udder, son of a bloody jester’s nutty…just AHHH!”

“Wow,” Mal blinked as he sat down beside me “could you repeat that for the judges? We didn’t get a chance to score that,” he just smiled when I glared death at him.

Ron whimpered as Hermione rolled her eyes at me and cast a cleaning spell she’d learned. My clothes were dry and I no longer smelled. I was about to thank her until I saw what Ron was holding. 

“You poor, poor wretched twat,” I shook my head in sympathy. 

Neville leaned over and husked “don’t let it linger, Ron, they get worse if ya do. Learned the hard way.” 

It had to be a record, it just had to be. Molly Weasley’s voice echoing through the hall as she chided her youngest son for doing something stupid. He got another warning about him being homeschooled. I think she was serious this time because Arthur was facing trouble with the ministry and for what they went through when the found the car gone. 

I just shook my head as Ron tried sinking low enough to hide form voice as Gran started making her way around with our timetables. When it ended, Hermione sighed heavily and closed her book which she’d gotten cleaned up from the milk spillage. In fact, she had most of us clean by now. 

“Honestly, Ronald, what did you think would happen?” she asked the partially hidden boy “you did…”

Ron snapped and glared at her “don’t you bloody say I had it coming!”

“Oi!” I cried and bounced a muffin off his forehead “what’d I tell you last night, eh? You earned yourself that muffin and that howler, ya twat.”

“Athena,” Gran’s voice sounded warningly behind me “it is not proper to throw food. Do it again and you’ll lose points.”

I just shrugged as she gave out the second years’ schedules. Wednesdays weren’t bad per say, there was Herbology with Hufflepuff, double Transfiguration with Ravenclaw and…bloody hell, DADA with Slytherins. I growled at it and tried giving the thing back but Gran wouldn’t take it; the cruel woman just laughed and moved on. 

First class of Herbology was a remedial. Well once we actually got to class that is. That twat, Lock-brain had followed Professor Sprout out from behind one of the greenhouses, her arms full of bandages. Harry frowned and looked towards the tree he and Ron had defamed with a car the night before. I had to choke back a smirk at the sight of some of the branches in slings. 

The man saw us and started grinning “hullo there, children, I was just giving Professor Sprout the proper advice on how to mend a Whomping Willow…” he laughed heartily “not that I’m better than her at Herbology per say. I’ve just happened to encounter…”

“Sir,” I called, unable to stop myself “perhaps you should stick to DADA and let Professor Sprout tend to the green things. I wouldn’t take the change of getting close to things that can rip your face off if I were you,” I grinned “historically speaking, of course, DADA professors don’t last long here. The last one we had exploded, I kid you not, Mr. Lockhart. He EXPLODED INTO DUST! Just saying.”

Lockhart and Hermione scowled at me as Sprout called loudly “right, get yourselves to Greenhouse 3, chop-chop! Off you go.” 

The blond man eyed me but managed to keep contempt off his face. He’d tried to slam me in the papers but even that drama-monger Rita Skeeter hadn’t bought it; that right there should say something. Uncle Ted had monitored that very closely while I could have cared less. Lockhart kept Harry behind as the rest of us moved along.   
…  
I should have figured the first class of term would be remedial to see what information oozed out of summer brains. We were replanting mandrakes, or ‘mandragora’ ugh! I frowned at Sprout and held up my bandaged hand until she noticed me; she made a face when she finally did and waved me to the front. I’d get to help her until I could do the work by myself. 

Sprout let me yank the plant up and put it in the bigger pot then she filled in the dirt. I was surprised when the woman gave me twenty points for ‘proper plant handling’ and she only grinned when I looked surprised at her. Sprout just smiled and patted me on the shoulder with a dirty hand, then frowned when she realized her mistake. 

Gran’s class was the same remedial test of sorts. Bug into button, not hard. I’ve no idea why Harry and Ron were struggling with this. Neville got it in four tries; though that might have been by accident and it did have more holes than required. 

Hermione and I were able to do our essay in class before the bell rang. Gran gave me a book on defensive dueling spells when I went to hand in my essay and she told me that our first lesson would be on Saturday morning. We’d be meeting in her classroom, Jubilee had been informed. Apparently, Jubilee had become my official alarm clock. 

Lunch time meant a trip to the infirmary for new bandages and an afternoon potion. I’d just gotten to the Great Hall and had literally just enough time to grab a sandwich before we were off again. We, our little group, were just headed through the giant doors when we were caught off guard by the flash of a camera. I couldn’t help but start giggling when Neville put his hands to his eyes yelling that he was blind. 

“What you doing?” I asked looking to Mal and…Creevy? He was the first kid who’d been sorted last night into Gryffindor 

Mal grinned as he slipped his arm over Colin’s shoulder “we are documenting our first year,” Colin nodded with a grin “I’m acting reporter and Colin here has the bigger job of capturing it on film.”

“Colin Creevy,” the boy held his hand out for Harry “my dad’s a muggle, so all this witchy stuff is very new but explains so much,” he laughed then “you’ve no idea.”

Hermione chuckled “oh, I do. Made a toaster play hopscotch once with me,” I gaped at her “I was five, back off!”

Colin grinned at Hermione before looking back to Harry “do you think we could get signed photo, Harry? Just want to cover all my bases, ya know?”

Harry didn’t get a chance to respond before Draco entered them mix with a sneer “first a bookshop and now you posturing in the halls?” he sneered darkly “St. Potter can’t live without signing photos, can ya?”

Draco’s voice carried through the hall and I raised an eyebrow at him. This was all Draco and no prodding from the gorillas behind him. I took a worried glance at Neville as his eyes flicked from a cold Draco to Crabbe and Goyle. What happened to make Draco like this, I wondered as Draco started calling for a queue to form for autographed photos. I groaned because Draco’s shouts had drawn the attention of the hallway. 

“You’re just envious!” Mal growled at Draco “what’s so special about a dirty snake?”

“MALCOM!” I smacked him upside the head “not nice, you either Draco. Walk away now before this gets you of hand.”

Draco hesitated before his eyes flashed “too late for that, Black,” he sneered at me, that eyebrow of mine went back up “why would I want to be special like Potter. All he’s known for is mutilated skin. Without that, he’d nothing like the rest of us.”

“Suck slugs, Malfoy!” Ron snapped and started to draw his wand 

Draco just laughed at him and mocked “better not do that, Secondhand Weasel. Wouldn’t want mummy to drag you back to the leaning hovel you live in,” Draco smirked then “eh, Potter, might want to think about giving Weasel boy one of them signed photos. Be the most expensive his family would own.”

Ron made to draw his wand but I stopped him, grabbing his wrist, Hermione had just tugged my sleeve and pointed back towards the Great Hall. The red-haired boy glared at me before I nodded towards the oncoming Lockhart in his flamboyant turquoise robes. Ron let out a long breath and removed his hand from his wand. 

“What’s this gathering about?” Lockhart asked and then grinned when he saw Harry “why do I have to ask? Signed photos are our trademark, aren’t they Harry?”

The man moved to reach out for Harry but I beat him to it by jumping on Harry’s back and calling as I threw out my good hand and pointed down the hall “away, trusty steed, we’ve class to attend! Part you rabble so we may pass without incident!” I smiled up at Lockhart “forgive us, user of a pen, but we must depart now. Giddy up, Harry!”

Colin snapped a picture just then, catching Harry’s laugh and Lockhart’s scowl. Harry was more than happy to give me a piggyback ride to class. He wouldn’t let me get down until we’d gotten to the DADA room. Too bad for us that a testy Draco and a fuming Lockhart followed. 

Lockhart’s class was going alright, I guess until he mentioned the banshee. The girls had been fawning over him, except me. I was with the boys on this one, looking disgusted and disgruntled. Then the prig had to mention his charming smile and how it wasn’t what banished the banshee.

“How did you banish the banshee?” I asked interrupting him and was smacked by Hermione, I ignored her “I mean, really? In your book you never said how or what held her there or even really why she was causing trouble. Banshees are usual harmless, they just scream when they know someone near this is about to die. They’re death omens like black dogs, thestrals; though I’m never been sure quite why on those, owls who hoot three times in some cultures, that freakish mothman thing in the States and the German Nix,” I listed them off on my fingers “so they’re not inherently dangerous…except mothman, he doesn’t have a good rep.”

“Yeah,” Seamus spoke up “banshees only attack when you harm their anchor to a place. Jonny Gilman used to write about them.”

I grinned “hey, he was that bloke who did the comic books? Put his adventures to paper?”

Seamus lite up then “yea, I have the whole series of them at home,” he frowned then, Lockhart was failing to take back control of his class “to bad he stopped doing that. Going crazy and senile tends to have an adverse effect one’s drawing skills.”

“Aww…come on!” Dean threw up his hand, Lockhart couldn’t get a word in edgewise “why’d ya tell me that!” he cried “I was hoping the second part of his leprechaun kidnapping would be coming out soon! Why’d you get me hooked on those, ya bloody tosser!”

Ron started laughing “I liked the leprechaun who kept taking his pocket watch and leaving sand in place.”

That got me to giggling “I liked the one that thought he was Elvis and kept singing his greatest hits and throwing beer mugs at Jimmy!” Jimmy was Jonny in the comic, I had gotten all the comics once upon a time; with Fraser being friends with the man and all. 

“I liked the one where Jimmy tricked the fairies out of the honey pots,” Crabbe spoke up, taking over Lockhart’s attempt to get the class back under control with a giggle “I liked that the fairies turned his hair bright pink.”

Class ended for me when I protested Lockhart’s quiz. It was all about him and nothing to do with DADA. He sent me to Dumbledore’s office when he realized that I didn’t care about points, I was the record holder for losing the most points. Even the Slytherins were pointing that out when Lockhart threatened to take points if I didn’t take the quiz. The man kicked me out of class then.


	11. Frist Week Woes…

This was fun…having a staring contest with Dumbledore. I was in his office, sitting in a surprisingly comfy chair across from his desk and sucking on a lemon drop. I was here because I refused to do a quiz that was purely about the vanity of a pompous pen jockey. Thus I had found myself before a gargoyle on the third floor, who’d moved once I told it that I’d been sent to see the headmaster. 

Dumbledore blinked and I threw up my hands in victory “ha! Best two out of three, I win!”

The elderly man laughed “so now I owe you more than just lemon drops, hmm, Miss Black?” 

I nodded “yep, I like those sour candies. The ones that make you pucker up. I love sneaking them to Uncle Ted, it’s hilarious.” 

Dumbledore nodded with a smile “now would you like to tell me why Professor Lockhart sent you here?”

“Because sending me to Tibet is illegal?” I offered with a shrug 

The man ignored my jest and held up the sheet of paper I’d been sent with “says that you disrespected him in class and refused an assignment.”

“I’m not about to take a quiz about the vanity of a person unless it was historically inclined,” I scowled crossly “however, I doubt that Kaylee would ever ask what we thought Napoleon’s favorite color was or what we’d get Countess Elizabeth Bathory for her birthday, I’d forgo having a sleepover of virgins for that celebration.”

“But he’s your professor,” Dumbledore countered “you should show him the respect that’s due to him in that position.” 

I smirked “I noticed you didn’t use his name, you could be talking about anybody. I certainly like Professor Flitwick and Professor Snape and I have an interesting, borderline not-hostile interaction-ship…thingy.” 

The headmaster sighed “Miss Black, Professor Lockhart was hired to be the DADA professor. That implies that students, like yourself, must respect him.”

“He’s not a professor in my head-cannon,” I muttered folding my arms across my chest before asking “why is it that we students must pay such a hefty bill to come here, if we chose not to then we must pay more to go elsewhere and the muggle-borns are even told of the other options. If we chose not to go to school at all, muggle-borns get the short end of the bloody stick because their memories are modified and their magic bound,” I ranted “and yet through all this we are subjected to substandard teachers! We’re the ones who aren’t taught shite even though we pay for it!”

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and folded his hands in his lap “are you finished, Miss Black?” he asked calmly, he didn’t give me a chance to respond “if you feel that strongly then I would suggest you take up independent study but you still have to go to Defense Against the Dark Arts. You are scheduled to be there so by school rule you must attend.”

I sputtered at him “what the fuck? Are you serious? Independent study while I’m still stuck with that fraud? When the fuck would I have the time between my other classes?” 

The headmaster raised an eyebrow at me “I do believe that type of language is not needed, Miss Black.” 

Glaring at him I let out a loud huff “right, can I go now? I mean, I’ve been reprimanded and told to be a good little obedient sheep to the idiot shepherd. What more do you want?”

“A better attitude wouldn’t be remiss,” Dumbledore suggested “and detention with Professor McGonagall tonight.”   
….  
I was still fuming when Dumbledore finally let me go. It was just before dinner, which I ended up eating at the Ravenclaw table because word of my interaction with Lock-fart had gotten around. The looks Hermione and the Gryffindor chasers were giving me made me swear off the Gryffindor table altogether. 

The Ravenclaws were surprised when I sat down next to Izzy but Su Li just welcomed me with a smile and passed me the bowl of mashed potatoes. Su Li and Terry Boot were fun to talk to and worked me out of my fuming. They’d heard about Lockhart’s class and how he’d released a cage full of Cornish Pixies after I’d been kicked out. Man couldn’t even get them back in the cage once they were out, Hermione had to do it. 

I told them about my conversation with Dumbledore and how I was told that if I actually wanted to learn something useful about DADA then I had to do it on my own time. The Ravenclaws scoffed at that and offered to set up a study group so I wouldn’t be alone, though they are Ravenclaws and learning is their thing. I wasn’t sure that they wouldn’t have just done it anyways without me.   
….  
Gran wasn’t happy to see me as I trudged into her office after dinner was over. She made me tell her exactly what happened, though I’m sure she’d heard it already from Dumbledore and Lock-fart. Woman looked cross enough to have steam coming out her ears, honestly. 

“Do you know that I had to sit all of dinner listening to Lockhart complain about you?” she demanded “an ill-mannered, violent ruffian of a child who was more suited to be studying in the States or at Drumstrang!”

“I’m sorry that was so painful for you,” I snarked, my arms folded across my chest as my temper flared, I watched her eyes flash dangerously “to hear that from such an outstanding member of the wizarding community.”

Gran rose from her chair slowly and made her way over to me; I was starting to wish I’d hadn’t said anything. Then I was really wishing it when she pinched the top of my ear and pulled me from my chair, switching places with me before she bent me over her knee and started paddling me with a conjured Ping-Pong paddle. 

“I will not be talked to like that!” she hissed through a snarl holding me in place as I struggled to get away from the blows “do you understand me?”

I didn’t keep count of the strikes, tears streaming down my face but when they stopped and she had stood me up, McGonagall was panting. My backside was on fire and I don’t think I was going to be able to sit comfortable for a day or so. McGonagall stood and reclaimed her own seat. 

“Will there be anything else, Professor?” I asked through gritted teeth, my fists clenched and my tears still leaking down my cheeks. It had been a while since I’d been this hurt, humiliated and angry. 

“Sit down, Athena, you still have fifty five minutes of detention left,” McGonagall said calmly “we are going to discuss your attitude.”

I smirked, sarcasm was my go-to defense “I’d prefer to stand and respectfully,” I growled “I have nothing I want to say to you, Professor.” 

McGonagall frowned “sit down, now.”

“I’m not masochistic despite all evidence to the contrary,” I snapped “thanks but no thanks.” 

McGonagall sat up straighter in her chair “I said ‘sit down, now’ and I meant it!”

“Oh, I’m so glad you cleared that up, I was worried you were playing word games,” I snarked back heatedly, there was no stopping my mouth “would you like to beat me a second time, the first was so amusing and entertaining.” 

“Athena, I’m warning you!” McGonagall was trying to keep her voice even as she glared at me “you’re already in trouble. Don’t push it, young lady!”

I just stared at her and didn’t move. We were at an impasse. Not that I was trying to see how far she’d go but I wasn’t backing down. In the end, McGonagall won. I was spanked a second time and then she sat me down in the chair and stuck my clothes to the wood so I could move. Woman should probably learn that I’m not afraid of getting hit. It’s the emotional crap that scares me. 

She tried to be lovey-dovey, a hug and soothing words before I left when the detention was over but I sidestepped her and headed out the door. I didn’t go to the tower when the detention was over and nor did I go to the infirmary like I was supposed to. Just wondered around for most of the night until I found a nice little room on the seventh floor that was warm and had a hammock and a fresh blanket in it. I wasn’t going to knock it, the way I was feeling I just didn’t care. Stupid temper overruling everything else.   
…  
That feeling of not caring was there when I woke the next morning. I woke up late enough that everyone had headed down to breakfast when I got to the Gryffindor tower. So no one bothered me when I dressed and headed off Lockhart’s classroom. He was the first class of the day. 

I ignored my friends when they finally arrived, I was ignoring the pain in my backside for sitting on the hard seat. Hermione even tried punching my shoulder to make me look at her but I didn’t. I just kept my gaze on the blackboard. I’d learned silence very well over the last month. 

Hermione finally gave up but kept shooting me glances like Neville and Harry were doing. Least the boys sensed danger and knew well to leave well enough alone. Unfortunately, Lockhart didn’t get that memo. He kept trying to call on me to give answers about his book, the banshee one.

I just stared at him until he shifted uncomfortable or threatened to take points. It was like he was trying to break me, ha! I kept my silence and never moved, though my stomach did not it was grumbly, all through the class. When he passed out a quiz, I gave song lyrics as answers. 

Same song I was humming as I made my way towards Charms once DADA was over. Flitwick was fun as ever but had us doing reminder work. I felt bad for the little professor when Ron accident threw his wand across the room and smacked Flitwick in the forehead with hit. Gave the professor a rather nasty off colored sore that throbbed with the man’s heartbeat. 

Skipped the infirmary in favor of food, eating quick because I was hungry but left that when Hermione started trying to question me about said infirmary. Though, that might not have been wise now that my hand was starting to really hurt. I got through Herbology my keeping my teeth clenched; Sprout actually looked worried about me. 

I was feeling pale and sickly when I got to potions early. Snape rolled his eyes a little when he saw me before he raised an eyebrow at me and my appearance. He drew me to the front of the class. 

“Are you alright, Black?” he demanded “you’re aren’t going to be sick in my class are you? I will take points for that.”

“I’m peachy, sir,” I gritted out “also I can’t use my left hand so…yea, fun times.”

Snape growled “I know about you hand, foolish child.”

“If I was feeling better,” I told him “I’d so give you a good retort on that.”

That seemed to surprise the man but he let me go sit down. I could feel myself starting to tremble and sweat as I sat down at the nearest desk. It helped keep my stomach in place but that was about all it helped. Snape paired me with Daphne Greengrass. She was one of the nicer Slytherins, Daphne tried to cheer me up when I told my hand was killing me and that I’d do the stirring. 

Halfway through potions it was Daphne that convinced me that I should leave class and go to the infirmary before I passed out in class. She’d gotten Snape to come over and he ordered me out before I killed everybody by stirring the potion wrong. I thanked her as I collected my bag and headed out the door.   
…  
I ignored Madam Pompfrey’s lecture about taking care of my health, old biddy should just be happy that I didn’t throw up and nor did I pass out on my what to her realm. Quite frankly I was too busy trying not to scream now that my hand was in the solution vortex and there was no pain potion in my system. The throbbing hurt was enough to take my breath away. 

To make matters worse, McGonagall was informed about my missing my appointments and how I’d shown up. The woman marched into infirmary once her last class was out for the day, her eyes locked on me and she looked like she was going to steam roll me. 

“What did you think you were doing by missing your potions and bandage changes?” McGonagall demanded once she was planted in front of me with her hands on her hips. 

I shrugged “meh…it’s called not just not caring.” 

“Excuse me?!” McGonagall roared “you better try that answer again, lass, or you’ll have hell to pay.”

“I’m out of coin, can I pay hell another day?” I asked without any really emotions behind 

McGonagall roared in frustration looking like she wanted to strangle me “Athena, ye’d better drop yer attitude right this instance,” her accent was getting thicker.

“Would you like me to start singing your praises then?” I asked dully “or bow down and worship Lockhart? Become a mindless, dull automaton who doesn’t feel a fucking thing? I mean, I would hate to tarnish your perfect reputation with mine. I would hate for you to suffer through another one of Lockhart’s rants about what a little bitch I am because I know he’s a fraud,” I assured her emphatically “I can be the nameless little child that nobody gives a shit about, been there and done that, Professor.”

McGonagall growled and stopped herself before she slapped me “I…ye…bloody hell in a hand basket!” the woman roared and pointed a deadly finger at me “ye need ta knock off the attitude afore it gets ye in real trouble, lassie!” 

“You started it,” I pointed out to her “first thing you told me in detention was what you suffered because of me; well, I’m sorry I’m such a burden. I’m sorry that I can’t get a proper education unless I find it on my own and that upset me. I’m sorry that your son couldn’t pick a better wife!” the tears were coming back now “I’m sorry that you were stuck with me as a grandchild. If you wanted the perfect, unbroken and flawless, well-mannered verison of me than you should have raised me yourself!” 

I growled at her and was very surprised by her response. The woman hugged me; she moved around the bed to throw her arms around me. She sat down beside me but didn’t let go as I slowly melted into her. McGonagall was warm, smelled like ginger newts and I could feel her tears falling down to wet my hair. 

“I’m sorry, my little lion,” she whispered “I shouldn’t have taken my temper out on you,” she was rocking side to side now “seems we’re more alike than I give us credit for. That man got to both of us and sent us fighting against each other. What are we going to do?”

“Get dinner?” I offered my cheek on her shoulder “and a nap, nap would be nice.”   
….  
Both Harry and I wanted to celebrate the coming of the first weekend. We’d only had three full days of class but those three days had been horrible. However, the weekend didn’t want to be celebrated…it wanted to be part of the misery. Gran, my anger at her had faded a little, had never told me what time had I had to meet her. Jubilee waking me up a five thirty in the morning should have been inhumane. I hadn’t had to get up like this in two years! Jubilee basically dressed me, I was struggling to open my eyes and then she guided me to Gran’s classroom pulling me by the hand. 

Gran had transformed her classroom by having all the desks pushed to the side and a temporary dueling track drawn on the floor down the middle of the room. The woman chuckled at me as I yawned and about tripped over my own feet. I glared at her as I found the one lone desk that was left in place. 

“What gives with the early morning, woman?” I demanded “oh, donuts!” I grinned when a plate of them appeared in front of me with a glass of chocolate mike. 

Gran chuckled as she stole a donut for herself “I have duties later and didn’t want to give this up, so it was either now or very later tonight.” 

“Fine,” I said around glazed twists “but remember that donuts are a good bribe.”

She chuckled and then pulled me from my seat. Gran started me out by going over the basic defense spells like protego (shield charm), expelliarmus (defensive charm) and episkey (minor healing spell). Technically, Gran had only intended to teach me the first two but I messed up the shield charm the first time and got hit with a knockback jinx that caused a scraped knee. 

We worked on those three until it was time for Gran to go about her duties as deputy headmistress. With a couple flicks of her wand and the room was back to normal. Gran kept telling me how proud she was of me for picking up those three spells. She laughed as we left the classroom because I told her that all I wanted was to pick up my blankets and crawl under them.   
…  
I found Hermione, Neville and Ron heading outside…well, they were actually coming down the hallway from the Gryffindor tower. Hermione hooked my arm and pulled me backward with her going forwards. With a sigh, knowing I would get back to bed anytime soon, I just turned and went along. 

The morning sun hadn’t been to long up as I was being guided towards the Quidditch pitch. Apparently Oliver had gotten some wild hair that his team need more training if they were going to finally win the Quidditch Cup this year; this to him meant practices at the ass-tits of dawn. 

However, when we got there it seemed that Oliver wasn’t the only one with early morning practice ideas. Flint had his Slytherins kitted up and rearing to go and they were facing off against Oliver and the Gryffindors. Of course Ron and Hermione had to go find out what was going on. I wanted to head for the stand and find a seat but thought better of it and hurried after the duo. Neville was the smart one because he headed for the stands. 

“…Slytherin seeker,” I heard Draco declare as I got closer, I stood beside Hermione “and my father was kind enough to get us new brooms,” if seven brand new Nimbus 2001’s wasn’t bribery than I didn’t know what was “I would say you lot need to sell of those rotters your riding but not even a museum would want those splintered sticks.”

Hermione growled and stated with narrow eyes “at least no one on our side had to buy their way on to the team.”

Draco’s eyes flashed “why don’t you keep your mouth shut, you filthy little mudblood!”

Oh, Draco was going to pay for that one but before he could, amidst the protests of the name, Ron had pulled his wand. I cast a protego because Ron’s wand control was horrible and Draco was now standing in-between Hermione and Harry. Ron’s curse hit the shield and came back to hit him in the chest. It knocked him back a few feet.

I didn’t look at him as the Slytherins started to laugh. I just handed Hermione my wand and suckered punched Draco as hard as I could. He went down and I followed, kneeling beside him and hit him again. I added a spilt lip to a very bloody nose before I grabbed him with one hand by the front of his robes. 

“You ever call her that again and I’ll make you regret the day your father taught it to you,” I growled dangerously right in his face “do I make myself clear?” he nodded quickly, his eyes wide with pain and fear “make noise, boy or I’ll think you can’t hear me through that pure-blood dribble you’ve got stuck in your ears!” 

“I understand!” Draco cried with a wince as Fred and George pulled me up 

I let the twins stand me upright, I straightened my shirt and the nodded “good, glad we had that conversation. Hope everyone else heard it because that goes for everyone one of you,” I glared my best glare at the stunned, green clad Quidditch team “because I would really hate to have to repeat that. Might have to raise my voice next time so you can hear me.”

Hermione just blinked at me with a half-smile and handed me back my wand. She stopped staring, like this was the first time she’d ever seen me, when Ron threw up a third slug. So that’s what he tried using on Draco. I did feel a little bad when Colin and Mal showed up, asking questions and taking pictures. 

Neville had come at a run, he and Harry got Ron up. It was agreed that Hagrid’s was the safer bet or we’d have to explain how Ron came to be throwing up live slugs; slimy live slugs at that. I slipped an arm over Hermione’s shoulders as we followed the boys, the name she’d been called had really hurt her.

“You are better than the likes of Draco can ever dream of being,” I whispered to her, my knuckles still stinging from the force I’d put into hitting my cousin “you are smarter, you are kinder and one day you will be remember for being more than just the next name on an inherited title,” she was crushing me in a side hug now “you are worth a hundred of him,” all Hermione could do was to nod.  
….  
At Hagrid’s hut, poor Ron had been given a bucket and told to either walk it off or wait it out. Ron was glaring at me when another slug came. I winced and handed him a tissue from a box on Hagrid’s table. 

He took it and demanded to know “why’d you do that? Why’d you block my bloody spell…ugh!” another full grown slug plopped into the bucket.

“I am sorry about that Ron, but to be honest you could have hit either Hermione or Harry with that spell,” I pointed out “you really need to learn how to aim and how to keep a hold of your wand. Flitwick watches you now to almost the exclusion of all else so he can duck spells and flying wands.” 

Harry nodded “sorry, Ron but she’s right.”

Ron frowned “but I’m hopeless…ugh!”

“Ya just need ta practice,” Hagrid assured him as he came from the kitchen with tea and cakes that Jubilee had made him (she’d gotten bored again) “now, what in the world caused this and why would Athena have ta use a shield charm?”

“Malfoy called Hermione…well, I’m not sure what he called her but it was pretty bad.” Harry frowned rubbing at Ron’s back as another slug slurped out 

“It’s horrible, the name and the slugs…they taste like very dirty socks,” Ron whimpered pitifully. 

Hermione stood with a growl, stomped to the window and said with her back to us “he called me a mudblood!” 

Hagrid gasped “no, he didn’t!” he frowned in disbelief “what a little prat! He had no right.”

“Athena punched him in the face, twice, if that makes anybody feel any better,” Neville pointed out, Ron and Harry both nodded and Hermione looked over at me “she made him bleed.” 

Hagrid grinned and gave me the thumbs up as he said “shouldn’t have done that, Athena, there are better ways of dealing with that,” that made Hermione giggle at him, the big man grinned “now, who wants tea and cakes, Jubilee made ‘em special. Love that little elf, bless her heart!”


	12. Raining on the Birthday Parade…

The rest of the time at Hagrid’s was spent explaining to Harry what ‘mudblood’ meant, Ron puked up more slugs and I taught Hermione the episkey spell so she could heal my scrapped up knuckles. We also got to see Hagrid’s prized pumpkins that were probably charmed to grown that big. Seriously, there was no way those were natural. 

Hagrid complained about Lockhart trying to tell him how to do his job. I told Hagrid that if Lockhart tried it again to mention that the last DADA professor exploded and that Hagrid dealt with flesh eating slugs. That last bit made Ron whimper and cry a bit when another slug slurped out with extra slime and Hermione to glare at me while the other two boys laughed. 

“Met yer sister, Ron,” Hagrid chuckled as he tossed me one of the little stones that were formed out of the stem of the pumpkins “her and that gaggle of friends she’s got were out roaming the grounds. Cutest group I ever seen,” he grinned “nice bunch even with that ruddy camera. Though I suspect they were trying ta find certain people, if you ask me.”

I grinned at Harry “Ginny and Colin were probably hunting Harry…ow!” I glared at Hermione when she hit me “what was that for?” I demanded rubbing my arm

“Don’t tease about that,” Hermione chided, she was a little red in the cheeks “how would you like to be teased like that?”

I just stuck my tongue out at her before turning to Hagrid “I best be off, Hagrid, I’ve an appointment with the Mistress of Pain and she tells on me if I’m late.”

Hagrid just laughed said goodbye to the rest when they decided to follow because lunch was fast approaching. Hermione linked her arm with mine and asked more about what Gran had taught me this morning. I was telling her about the session when we ran into the devil herself. 

Gran raised an eyebrow she saw Ron throw up a slug into the wooden bucket that Hagrid had lent him “so that report this morning of a fight on the Quidditch pitch wasn’t too far off?”

“What fight?” I asked raising an eyebrow, a perfect mimic of her “there was a fight?” I threw up my free hand “why do I always miss the good stuff?”

Gran snorted “heard it was you who punched Draco Malfoy in the face.”

I gasped indignantly as the others shifted uncomfortable “of all the…ahh! I was trying to high-five him for making the Quidditch team. Not my fault that one of his teammates gave him a shove from behind.”

The older witch shook her head “I wonder if you got together with the Weasley twins for that lie or if you just have the same fallback stories for certain things.”

“I’m wounded by that, Minerva McGonagall,” I put a hand over my heart “that you’d think I’d lie about something as…as…as mean as punching my cousin in the face.”

“You’re such a ham!” Hermione giggled into my shoulder 

“Humph!” I shook my head “I don’t have to be insulted like this, ya know!”

Gran was laughing then and with the same breath told Harry and Ron where they’d be serving detention. Ron got stuck with Filch and poor Harry was with Lockhart. She left still laughing at our little group. Neville was grinning like a madman and told us that it was never boring being in our little group.   
….  
Hermione and Neville accompanied me to the infirmary while Harry and Ron went somewhere else. Ron didn’t want to fall into Madam Pompfrey’s clutches when she found him with a bucket full of slugs that he filled himself. He seemed to want to avoid that conversation at all means. 

The three of us spent the rest day in the library after we’d caught the tail end of lunch. Su Li found us there, working on homework and presented us with a 1973 edition of Standard Defense against the Dark Arts and The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection (it was a first edition) by Quentin Trimble. Hermione was vocally against learning DADA on our own when we had a perfectly good teacher in Lockhart. Su Li just gaped at the girl like she’d grown another head and continued talking as if she hadn’t heard a word Hermione had said.

I stayed up for Harry and Ron that night. Hermione and Neville had gone off to bed already. I’d wanted to get at least another chapter read in the dueling book that Gran had given me; it was talking about using constructs as shields and charming them so they could take more damage. Ron trudged in first with his trusty bucket.

“Ya know, I am sorry about that,” I pointed to the bucket “I would have let you do it but ya know.”

Ron was a little pale but he just nodded “I get it, I’d rather puke slugs than watch Hermione or Harry do it because of me.”

“Hey, you could always ask Hagrid to help you learn how to aim,” I suggested “he learned how to use a crossbow accurately.”

The redheaded boy just shrugged after he’d thrown up another slug. We lapsed into silence and surprised Harry when he came in through the portal. He was rubbing at his hand like he’d been writing lines. The messy haired boy sank into the couch next to Ron.

“I hate Filch,” Ron said suddenly and moaned “I think I’ll be dreaming about that Quidditch Cup with as many times as he had me buffing it. I never want to see a Special Service to the School Award again.”

“Could be worse,” I pointed how “how was Lockhart?” 

Harry scowled “bloody pompous, self-centered git!” he snarled, Ron looked quite impressed “also…I heard something in his office, a creepy voice but Lockhart said he couldn’t hear,” Harry shuddered. 

“Could have been him takin’ the piss out of ya,” Ron suggested then groaned “I’m going to bed. I’m never using this spell again.”

Harry followed not long after, having not said a word as he was thinking over what Ron had said. I went up to bed at the same time, there was no point staying up now. After having changed can climbed into bed, I found that Hermione had nicked Forge. She was practically draped over top of him, her little snores mixed with his soft purrs.   
….  
Hermione’s birthday came along with dark clouds that seemed to settle over Hogwarts. We didn’t have as big as party as we had last year but there was still cake at lunch for all the tables. Leonidas brought Hermione’s presents from home at breakfast, along with a letter she’d gotten a very beautiful sapphire drop pendent on a gold chain. It was Hermione’s birthstone and she had me clasp it for her as she had her back to me and holding her hair up out of the way. 

As Hermione’s birthday landed on a Saturday and we had no class, Hermione and I spent the day doing what Hermione wanted to do. I would have figured that it would have reading in the library but instead, we found ourselves in Gran’s empty classroom with the owner of the room teaching Hermione the basics of dueling.   
I sat on Gran’s desk with my feet in a chair and watched Hermione shielding herself from different jinxes that Gran was throwing her way. A thought hit me while I was sitting there, I thought that Hermione looked very cute with the look of concentration that was on her face. It wasn’t a friendly type of cute or the cuteness that was reserved for fuzzy animals. 

It was like, I think you’re cute in I like-like you sort of way. Great Divines! It was so confusing and I felt really dumb. Hermione was my best friend and I’m pretty sure I’m not supposed to be thinking about her like that. Bad brain! Bad! Go to your room and be quiet! This was something I was going to talk to Gran or Kaylee about. With that thought forcefully removed from the forefront of my head, I went back to listen to what Gran was saying. 

The afternoon, after the cake at lunch, was spent listening to records in the common room with the whole of Gryffindor (plus Annie, Luna and Izzy) and junking out on treats that Jubilee had made and doing homework. It was pouring rain outside while drinking apple cider and eating little cakes sounded like a better time even though homework was included. It was so very weird but it made Hermione insanely proud and happy. Then she gave us all toothbrushes and sample things of toothpaste that she’d brought just for today. 

I gave Hermione my present after dinner, not that anybody really ate anything but still we showed. Hermione gleefully tore into the wrapping paper and grinned when she found pens of varying colors as well as various colored ink wells, a very nice elk antler fountain found in a second hand shop (over the summer) and pen nubs of different shapes. Hermione thanked me with a kiss to my cheek that sent bad brain soaring and my stomach to pleasantly spinning. Crap, I was really going to have to talk to somebody about this.   
…  
As the first month of term passed, I really tried to ignore the little things I was starting to notice whenever I got around Hermione. Except it wasn’t just Hermione, I was starting to notice the other girls too and not just my dorm mates or even though in my same house. Susan Bones, for example, looked really pretty with her splash of freckles and her strawberry blonde hair when it was up in a ponytail. 

Frowning, I snuck away from everyone near the end September and made my way to Kaylee’s office. The woman shrieked happily when she seen me knocking on her door. She scooped me up in her arms and twirled me around, tweaking my nose playfully when she sat me back down.

“I have missed you kid,” she said sitting me down in the chair across from her desk “you’re growing, stop that! So tell me, how’ve you been since this summer. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there but my sister just had a little baby and it was a close call for her with the little jelly bean.”

I smiled “it’s alright, is Bethany okay?” I asked 

Kaylee nodded “she’s fine now.”

“Good, umm…I…I was wondering…I have a question…” I frowned and picked at the knee of my pants 

The older woman smiled and rolled her office around her desk to face me “spill kid, what’s bugging you?”

My frowned deepened, I’d probably given this subject too much thought and come up with worse answers “what if that voodoo woman didn’t put me back right?” I asked not looking at Kaylee “I think something’s wrong with me…I-I started noticing things about…I don’t like boys like I should. I’m not crushing on Lockhart like the others girls and I think that voodoo bitch did this to me!” I said quickly there at the end.

“Oh, hun,” Kaylee stood and pulled me up with her, wrapping her long arms around me “there is nothing wrong with you, this is just you,” she assured me “that creature may have hurt you badly, kiddo but she didn’t make you like girls. You’ve always been this way, the stories I could tell.”

I felt the prickling of tears burning at my eyes “what?” I asked my heart coming up to choke me “no! nononononono! NO! I’m not like that! I’m normal, I’m fucking normal!” I cried into Kaylee’s shoulder gripping tightly to the back of her robes “there already enough different about me, I don’t want this too!”

Kaylee was rocking side to side and gently holding me as I had a meltdown. She let me scream at her and cry on her until I wore myself out and Kaylee put me back in my chair. The thirty year old held my face in her hands, wiping my tears away with her thumbs. 

“There is nothing wrong with you, Athena, my little goddess of wisdom and warfare…”

I smiled “and the home crafts, have to have a hobby,” it was an old joke we’d always make. 

Kaylee smiled “there is nothing wrong with you, there is nothing wrong with liking girls over boys. There is nothing wrong with liking both at the same time,” she promised “you have all the time in the world to figure out your preference.”

“But I…I see the girls around and I-I think they’re really cute and…” I was blushing now, Kaylee could no doubt feel the heat of my cheeks on the palms of her hands “I want to hold their hands or something, I don’t know, I don’t know what I want! I look at Hermione when she’s studying or concentrating or just being Hermione and I feel this weird fluttery, floppy spinning feeling in my stomach and…and my heart does weird things and I feel warm in my chest.”

Kaylee smiled as she drew her hands away from me “I think you have a crush, kiddo.” 

“No!” I growled “she my best friend, my best friend and she’s a she! Friends don’t crush on friends! Right?” I felt so unsure about that. 

I think Kaylee was far too amused with this as she shrugged “sometimes they do,” she poked the end of my nose “it’s not the end of the world, kiddo. Don’t forget what the Amazon told us.”

There was no helping my groan and quoted “love is love and real love isn’t about the body it’s about the soul…” I glared at her “would you like me to recite the story about the first humans that Zeus created who had four arms and four legs and two heads? Some were male and female pairs, some were male and male pairs and some were female and female pairs.”

Kaylee smiled as she leaned back in her chair and folded her hands in her lap “what did the chief god do when he started to fear their power as a creature of creation? What did he do to them?”

“He turned their heads so they could no longer look at each other no matter how they tried,” I sighed “but then these first creatures started to die because they could not live with the grief of being separated even in such a small way, they stopped eating and stopped having the will to live.”

Kaylee nudged my knee with her foot so I’d look at her “what did Zeus do then?”

I sighed again “he was so moved by their anguish that he righted what he’d done but they were still too powerful as a whole so he split them in half. Made it so they only had two arms, two legs and one head but they just had half a soul,” I glanced at the amused Kaylee “this is where we get the need to search for our other half. The other being out there that carries the rest of our soul. It matters not the gender, just the soul.”

Kaylee beamed as she leaned forward and captured my face in her hands and kissed my forehead “love has never been about the body, kiddo, it’s about the soul within. Give the hope that some way and somehow we will find that other half…besides,” she smirked “normal is overrated anyhow.”  
…  
After I left Kaylee I set off to find my friends but couldn’t not even in the library were I was pulled to sit with Ginny, Izzy and their group. They were working on potions essays and were a bit lost. Having nothing better to do, I sighed and started pointing them to the right books. 

“Why do you look so contemplative?” Izzy asked, I’d sat by in my chair going over my conversation again with Kaylee, Izzy had Luna poke me to get my attention “yo, cousin what’s the deal?”

I drew a heavy breath as I looked up at her “what?”

“Izzy wanted to know why you were so deep in thought,” Luna smiled in her ethereal way, her voice light “I bet it was because of the wrackspurts, they make your brain go fuzzy.”

“Oh, then I’ve a heck of case, Luna-love,” I smiled when the girl beamed at the name, we’d taken to calling her that here recently because it flowed “I…I had a conversation with Kaylee earlier and I’m still thinking about it.”

“Kaylee?” Ginny frowned, she was looking so pale that I wondered if she were okay “like Professor Parmenter? I don’t think I’ve heard of a student named Kaylee.”

I nodded “Kaylee Parmenter, for all intents and purposes basically raised me before we came to Hogwarts. We were separated before school started my first year and she came to work here when Professor Binns vanished.”

“Peeves swears that someone exorcised him,” Colin shivered “said it made the whole castle feel weird for a while.”

“What you doin’ talking to that poltergeist?” I demanded of the first year “yer better off staying away from him.”

Both Malcom and Colin just shrugged as Annie asked “Professor Parmenter’s your mum?”

I laughed at that, out loud and got a dark looked form Madam Pince “oh, that’s great that is,” I grinned at the Hufflepuff “oh, someone who doesn’t know who my mum is. I like it, little puff.”

Annie frowned “who is your mum?” she asked “and if Professor Parmenter raised you, why do you not visit with her more?” 

I raised an eyebrow at her “both of those answers are complicated and with that I bid you, adieu,” I bowed my head to them before I left the table. 

“But really!” Annie called, getting hushed by Pince “Athena!” 

I just waved back to them before I was out the double doors of the library


	13. Skipping Death Day….

October was miserable, it was cold and rainy and there was not let up to the weather. I’d given up paying attention in Lockhart’s class and was reading different books in the back of the class. It was better than watching poor Harry being forced to help Lockhart reenact different scenes from his book and certain was healthier for my sense of calm. 

The cold weather made my hand ache. My hand was actually healing very well. It was like a giant, ugly scab at this point because most of the skin was in place and now the deep tissue needed to heal. This made my hand stiff when I tried to move it but at least I had my fingers free from the wrappings. That made Healer Strout happy when she came for her first monthly visit. She was also very interested in the recipe I’d gotten from Claire at Ginny’s birthday; she took a copy of it at least. 

Through all that, the only thing I was left looking forward to was Saturdays because I got to spend them with Gran. Sometimes the others would come with, Harry couldn’t make it because of Quidditch practice but, Ron surprisingly came along as well. He practically begged Gran to help him with wand control even if it meant he had to get up early on Saturday instead of being lazy (the prompting of this was that he’d actually knocked poor Flitwick out with a flying wand). 

“Very good, Weasley,” Gran commended him as he hit a third hovering plate, she’d already had to repair the tall windows five times already and was starting to teach Hermione, Neville and I how use reparo “but you need to think more about your wrist movements but you are making improvements,” Ron beamed at the praised before he looked down and watched his wrist closely as he rotated it “now, I think that’s enough damage for today,” Gran smiled at us “except Athena, I want to talk with you privately.”

“We’ll catch you at the library?” Hermione asked, she’d made us bring along our book bags for this purpose.

I nodded and watched them leave before looking to Gran “what’s up?” 

Gran leaned back against her desk with her hands folded before her “I was wondering what you were doing of Samhain? We didn’t get to spend last Halloween together so I thought I’d ask head this time.”

“Wow…it’s been a while I’ve actually celebrated Samhain,” I blinked in surprised “I think we were in Paris, the catacombs are freaky and hold weird things. Found a suit of armor down when Fraser took me with him hunting ghouls, could swear the thing was watching me.”

“So was that a yes?” she asked, Gran had growled softly at the mention of Fraser. 

I shrugged “sure, why not?” raised an eyebrow “are you just doing the morning rites or…?”

Gran just smiled “actually, I think you’ll just have to find out for yourself,” she pushed away from her desk to hug me “I’ll have Jubilee get you up before dawn, so be prepared.”  
….  
When Harry got in later that day, we’d moved from the library to the common room because the Slytherins had descended upon the place, he was soaked to the bone and muddy. We were working on potions homework when he returned showered and in clean clothes. Harry was telling us, Neville was partially listening because the Weasley twins were up to something with more fireworks, about how Sir Nicholas had invited everyone in our group but me to his 500th death day in the dungeons. 

“Why not me?” I demanded a little cross

Harry shrugged apologetically “something about you being ‘soul touched’ and that you make the ghosts very uncomfortable.”

“Oh…” I deflated a bit, guess I’d been right about why even Peeves stayed away “well, that’s alright,” I perked back up “Jubilee has been hinting about something she and the other elves are doing for Halloween.” 

“Well,” Harry folded his arms in front of his chest “now you tell me about Jubilee! You do know that I’m stuck going because I made a promise and by extension Ron, Hermione and Neville have to go.”

“Whut?” Ron and Neville said at the same time, Neville’s attention snapping back at the same time “I’m not going,” Neville shook his head “you did the promising, Potter, not me. I want to see the elves. So you three can go and I’ll stick with Athena.”

I grinned and leaned into Hermione’s side as Ron started mumbling about how dreadfully depressing it was going to be, I whispered to her “if you want I can have Colin take pictures and Jubilee to save you lot some of the feast.”

“Thank you,” Hermione laid her head on my shoulder before asking “you’ve been more affectionate recently, are you okay? You’ve just never been very tactile before.”

“Have I?” I frowned and Hermione nodded as we watched the boys making really bad puns about Sir Nick’s death day party “huh…I didn’t realize that I’d been doing that. If it makes you uncomfortable, I can stop, though I seriously hadn’t…”

“It’s okay,” Hermione looked up at me and grinned (flittering fluttery feelings in my chest) “I feel like you’re being more open.” 

Yea…we’ll go with that one, I thought as Hermione laid her head back down and went back to reading her book. I scorned myself for enjoying being this close to Hermione and wished she hadn’t of said anything because I wouldn’t have noticed. Now I was very conscious of how close I was to her and that her hair smelled like coconut.   
…  
Halloween dawned cold and dreary, I didn’t want to get up but Gran was waiting on me. I would have been a little more surprised at Jubilee waking up others from Gryffindor house if Gran hadn’t explained that word had gotten around that she was doing a morning Samhain ritual. We blamed Mal and Izzy for having big mouths and asking others what they were going to do for sacred time.

Hermione and some of the other muggle-borns were curious while the student who’d been raised in magical home were excited. This meant that I was walking down to the main courtyard with Malcom, Colin, Hermione, Harry, Katie Bell, Angie, the bleary eyed Weasleys and mixture of the rest of the years. 

When we arrived there were students from the other houses (including Slytherin) gathered there, dressed against the chill and huddled in the dark of the morning that was barely driven off by a few torches that had been placed about. Gran and Kaylee stood beside a large straw effigy of a man that wore a paper crown. When Gran saw me, she waved me forward as Mal moved to stand beside his sister. 

“Quite the turnout, don’t ye think, lass?” Gran asked lowly but with a smile, her accent was thick with eagerness “wasn’t expecting this.”

“It’ll be alright,” I assured her “but next time, I say we tape Malcom’s mouth shut.”

Gran just snorted as she slipped her arm across my shoulders “oh, ye’ll certainly be thinking that in a moment,” I didn’t get a chance to question her as she turned to the murmuring crowd “good morning, everyone, welcome to Hogwarts Samhain celebration. I ask that you not speak for this entire ritual. We’re here to honor and celebrate those who’ve gone before us; those who’ve crossed the veil,” she nodded then to Kaylee who started passing out scraps of paper and short pencils (Kaylee’s doing, I’m sure) “Professor Parmenter is giving you bits of paper and writing utensil so that you may write down the names of those you wish to honor today. When you’re done, you will fold them up and then you will stick then into this wicker man.”

It wasn’t easy to find something hard to write on, I used one of the smooth stone benches that ringed the courtyard (others copied me). I wrote down the names of everyone I could remember who’d died. Many of them were hunters, two amazons, two sets of grandparents, a crazy aunt who’d I’d met in a portrait, Malcom McGonagall and Robert McGonagall Jr., Tomas McGonagall, Robert Bruce McGonagall and Bellatrix McGonagall (technically she had been was killed when she became a Lestrange). 

I gave the pencil back to Kaylee as I got to her, there was a queue for the stuffing of the effigy. Hermione tried to pull me away with her to the edge of the crowd once I’d slipped my paper into the effigy’s shoulder but Gran stopped us. She kept me, and by extension, Hermione at the front. 

Gran whispered in my ear as the false light of dawn started to come “join in on the chorus and just sing this like we did over the summer but Kaylee has Bridget’s spot.”

“What?” I asked but didn’t get an answer as Kaylee’s voice to the first verse of the song called The Parting Glass. 

Gran’s voice fit smoothly with Kaylee’s with mine tucked in behind as we sung this song of farewell. The crisp morning air carried our voices while I kept my eyes closed so I didn’t have to see everyone staring at me as I sang. When the song was over the effigy lit itself on fire, the burning straw smelled of incense, sandalwood and sage. It sent little embers up that took the shapes of different animals and butterflies as they rose to disappear into the dull sky. 

Hermione kept smiling at me once the ritual was over and we’d all gone our separate ways; well, Gran had made me promise to have lunch with her and the twins in her quarters before she’d let me go. The bushy haired girl jumped on my back and ordered me, as her noble steed, to take her back to Gryffindor tower.   
….  
The day went by quickly, lunch with Gran was fun as Izzy and Mal were busy relating their adventures so far. Gran laughed and smiled at them; her interactions with them were so much different than the way she was with me. I knew it was wrong to compare them but I couldn’t help it. 

Also couldn’t help but think of how I’d be if Robert Bruce was still alive and Bellatrix wasn’t off playing secondhand general to a madman. I hated how that caused an ache in my chest, I hated how some part of me wanted to know them and it was a want that was growing.

Gran never noticed how quiet I was with her attention focused on the twins; neither did the twins. It was almost like I wasn’t there. When lunch was over, Gran gave each of us a large bag of candy. The twins gushed and I raised an eyebrow at the Honeyduke’s bag in my hand. 

“This is so cool,” Izzy gushed “I was wickedly worried about missing trick-or-treating this year. Ilvermorny has a costume contest every year and the professors pass out treats.”

Gran grinned “aye, your mum and da were mostly behind the candies but I added my own treats too.”

“Huh…” I looked at the white bag “only ever been trick-or-treating once, don’t remember much of it because I was like four or five but I distinctly remember going door to door for this kind of gain.” 

Mal gave me a shove and chided “this is better, chica, we get the goods with none of the work!” 

I heaved a sigh and left with a wave over my shoulder. I saw Gran’s frown in the mirror by the porthole as I pass by it on my way out. There was nothing more that I wanted than to not be jealous of my cousins. So, I did to it what I did with everything I didn’t want to deal with. I buried down below facts I’d read in books. I went straight to my dorm room and hid the bag of candy in my trunk before flopping face down on my bed; hating my life.  
….  
Neville and I parted company with Harry, Hermione and Ron near the Great Hall. They were headed down to the dungeon and we were headed to the Great Hall. I took the empty spot next to Angie and marveled at the room. There were small floating pumpkins, carved with a slew of different faces and lit up everywhere.

Bubbling and frothing caldrons were placed along the centers of the tables. The song Monster Mash echoed softly through the hall as the room started to fill. Over head the enchanted ceiling was playing to the theme with flashes of light and rumbling thunder in time with the music. 

The music and lightshow stopped when the hall was filled and the clock struck seven, the hall resonated with the sound of an evil and maniacal crackle of laughter. There were screams through the hall when the big doors slammed shut. Dumbledore was chuckling as he came to his podium. 

“Welcome to the Halloween feast,” he looked out over the sea of faces “this morning’s ritual was very successful illumination of our past and those whose lives we honor. Tonight, however, we celebrate life. Through this feast and the merriment it brings but first,” he paused and smiled before laying his podium flat “a little surprise and a true treat and reminder that we shouldn’t always take ourselves seriously.”

The light in the Great Hall dimed and left only the spot where Dumbledore’s podium was. There feeling of anticipation hung heavy and there were a few shrieks when there was a loud ‘pop’ that echoed then there was laughter. 

Everyone was laughing at the sight of a house-elf standing on Dumbledore’s podium, I wasn’t sure who, but they were dressed up as Dumbledore. The outfit was modeled after his sparkly blue robes with the golden stars. There was the gold, half moon, glasses, a beard made from what looked like pillow batting and the tall hat. Colin took a photo, he’d moved to the head of Gryffindor table. 

The little elf twirled to show the gawking and stunned staff while Dumbledore himself laughed merrily. Mini-Dumbledore gave a bow and hopped down before there was another ‘pop’. Hufflepuff table went crazy when an elf dressed as Professor Sprout appeared, the real Sprout blushed. The detail was wicked, there was little splotches of dirt all over and the coat had been stuffed to size. Hufflepuff cheered loudly when the elf done the turn and then waved to them before jumping down to stand next to mini-Dumbledore. 

One by one mini-professors ‘popped’ in, postured like they were the real professors and then jumped down. Jubilee was Gran and it was wicked. She had Gran down pat, even had a little quivering wardrobe dressed up as a tabby cat….wait! I know that wardrobe! It was from Grimmauld Place!

I sat in stunned silence as Jubilee picked up the wardrobe, petting at it like it really was a cat. She then quirked the perfect eyebrow at Gryffindor table and then the professors behind her and jumped down. The rest of the table was thundering at Jubilee’s impersonation of Gran. 

In the end, it was the Hufflepuff elf that won the contest. He’d been dressed as Lockhart, blonde wig and sparkly teeth and everything. It was the elf’s proclamation that he’d made his own outfit ‘watch out covers of Witchweekly’ that clenched the title. Also, it could have been the sassy and flamboyant way it was said that got all the tables to vote in his favor. 

When the contest was over and the elves were gone, the food came. Everyone was still coasting on the happy thrill the elves had given making the hall buzz. It was enough to brighten anyone’s spirits but that all ended with a very chilling sight.   
…  
Neville and I were near the front of the group heading out of the great hall. The floor was wet and Angie groaned that Moaning Myrtle must have flooded the girl’s bathroom again. I almost ran into Neville when he came to a halt. 

There was Harry, Ron and Hermione standing under a very large, painted red messaged. THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED! ENEMIES OF THE HEIR BEWARE! Wow…that wasn’t ominous at all. I hurried to Hermione’s side because she looked really pale, I was afraid she was going to pass out. That’s when I glimpsed what was hanging off a torch bracket. 

“Oh, that’s not good,” I muttered slipping my hand into Hermione’s.

I’d meant to pull her away and hex Draco horribly when he yelled out something about ‘mudbloods’ but Filch arrived first. I really do think he would have murdered us, me included because I was standing with Harry, Ron and Hermione. Man wasn’t in his rational mind and I didn’t blame him one bit for it once he saw Mrs. Norris, stiff as a board and hanging on the wall.   
…..  
Hermione refused to let go of my hand as we were led to Lockhart’s office (his just happened to be the closest), again I was guilty by association. Gran’s hands were on my shoulders as Dumbledore laid the cat on the table. She was caught in mid-hiss with her back arched and her tail bushy. 

“Seen this before,” Lockhart nodded, sure of himself and shaking a finger at the cat on his desk “it’s a torture spell, I’m sure of it.”

“She petrified, you idiot!” I cried couldn’t help it as Filch started to sob “look at her, seriously! This wasn’t torture. This was done instantaneously before she had time to react! If she’d been tortured there’d be blood and broken bones, she wouldn’t be hissing with her back arched!”

“How dare you talk to me like that?!” Lockhart gasped “do you know who I am, little girl?”

I shrugged “it’s more like do I care…” I was stopped by Gran’s hand over my mouth, Harry and Ron were looking at me wide eyed. 

Dumbledore sighed as he pulled away from is examine of Mrs. Norris “Miss Black is correct, she is petrified. How, I cannot say.”

“Why not ask little Miss Know-it-All?” Lockhart hissed 

Snape drawled “I seriously doubt if Miss Granger has an answer for this,” he shook his head “this is dark magic, correct Albus?” he asked and Dumbledore nodded “I doubt there is any second year that is capable this, even Miss Black. Don’t get your hopes up, Lockhart.”

“It was him!” Filch snarled pointing at Harry while Lockhart and his many pictured selves were glaring at the potions master “he knows I’m a squib, he wanted to get back at me!”

“I didn’t do anything!” Harry cried indignantly “I’m not even sure what he means by squib. I know a squib as a blank cartridge used in muggle movies!”

Dumbledore sighed “this advanced magic, Severus is right in that no second year could accomplish this. However, you should know that Mrs. Norris is not dead, we can restore her,” Dumbledore grinned then “Professor Sprout has a very nice crop of mandrake coming along this year.”

Lockhart glared at me “it still doesn’t answer why Miss Black and her friends were standing at the scene of the crime!”

Snape sighed “I would say they were at wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Yea!” Ron cried “we were coming back from Sir Nick’s death day party.”

“Why not simply come to the feast then, why that hallway?” Snape demanded 

I pulled Gran’s hand away “because I’d promised them that I’d have Jubilee save them leftovers.”

Snape raised an eyebrow “I still think they’re not telling everything, I think they should have suspended privileges.”

“What privileges?” I demanded curiously “we’re second years….harrumph!” Gran put her hand back over my mouth.

“There’s need for that, Severus,” Dumbledore shook his head “once the mandrakes are ready then we’ll have the potion. No harm done.”

“NO HARM!” Filch cried furiously “my cat’s been petrified!”

Lockhart nodded “I can make the potion, of course, I’ve made it before. So very easy anyone can make a Mandrake Restoration…”

Filch had growled before punching the man in the face and roared while standing over the downed Lockhart. The pictures and painting on the walls were going off the rail in protest. Gran swiftly ushered us students from Lockhart’s office. Ron and I were both trying to see what was happening as we were herded out. Snape and Dumbledore were pulling the men apart, we were rooting for Filch.


	14. Consequences and Legends….

The next morning after Mrs. Norris’s attack found me in Dumbledore’s office. I was actually worried this time because Gran and Aunt Andy were in attendance. Gran had come to fetch me from the common room this morning before breakfast, she’d caught me as we were headed down to the Great Hall. There’d been nothing about her demeanor that’d been happy as she pinched my ear and pulled me along. 

“Gran!” I tried slapping at her hand “that hurts!”

She snorted as she pulled me along “it’s not supposed ta tickle, lassie,” there was a cold feeling in my stomach, her accent was thick “ye’ve made a fine mess for yer-self, lassie,” she said calmly with a hint of bitterness “been in’a meetin’ all morn’in with Dumbledore and yer guardians, after Lockhart came complainin’ late last night,” that cold feeling was getting colder as worry started to creep in “thought ya’d learned ya lesson ‘bout keepin’ yer smart remarks to yer-self and repectin’ authority.”

Oh…I was remembering that lesson right this moment. I kept quiet but didn’t look away from her as she marched me along. Her face was stern and her eyes were flashing dangerously, her whole body was ridged and tense. Gran was livid and I had something to do with it. 

There was a small bench outside of Dumbledore’s office door at the top of the gargoyle stairs. Gran sat me down there when we heard shouting raised voices from the other side of the door. It sound like Uncle Ted, I grabbed for Gran’s hand to keep her with me when she tried to go in there. I shook my head at her, Uncle Ted never raised his voice…ever. Gran smiled, then, at me before she gently caressed my face and kissed my forehead. 

“…progress we made with her is gone!” Uncle Ted snapped, his voice coming in clear when Gran opened the door “…ball’ did more damage to her than just her hand! I don’t care what your experts said, Dumbledore, I know my niece!” I was crouched with my ear to the door so I could hear “she’s still suffering from the effects of that damn ball! Athena has always had a problem with authority when she believes that someone is abusing that power, her attitude has always been one of reaction. If you’d get past who her mother is then maybe you’d recognize that about the girl.”

Dumbledore’s voice came calmly back “this punishment comes because this is not the first time that Athena has disrespected authority. She had this problem all last year and this time she did it to not one but five different authority figures, regardless of the circumstances,” he never raised his voice, it was an even tone “Athena grossly overstepped and did it in front of other students. She has been talked with about this and the way she treats Professor Lockhart.”

“Albus,” Gran cut in “taking three hundred points for this isn’t going to be teaching her a lesson, it will turn Gryffindor against her!” Gran argued, that cold feeling had settled in my stomach and was now an ice burg “that is making this a house punishment, not just a personal punishment with personal responsibilities and burden for what she’s done!” 

“Athena has no care for points,” Aunt Andy chimed in “she’s learned that they are easy come, easy go. She needs to learn that she can’t just run her mouth and expect things to go her way just because she says so and leading others into it!”

“SHE’S NOT HER MOTHER!” Uncle Ted roared and made me jump “Athena is nothing like Bellatrix, Andromeda, and she will never be Bellatrix!” he snapped angrily “does Athena have a temper? Merlin, YES! Can she cut you to pieces with words? Yes, she can but what you seem to forget is how devastated she was afterwards,” his tone softened “that girl cried herself to sleep, I know because I saw it when I went to check up on her and found the tear stains on her cheeks. I saw how withdrawn she became. If you don’t believe me, ask Harry. He saw it too. He was scared that we’d lose her to this; that she’d never be the same Athena she’d been. The girl who came running to his defense more than once even after he’d lie to her, who saved Neville without a thought to her own safety!” 

I pulled away from the door then and stopped listening. The thought that all Aunt Andy saw now was my mum when she looked at me being confirmed hurt worse than I thought it would. My head lulled back against the wall once I’d sat back down on the bench, the furthest away from the door that I could get. I didn’t it was possible to feel defeated and rebellious at the same time.   
….  
When the finally opened and Gran ushered me in to the room, the rebellious feeling had turned to anger. A part of me was seething but I needed to keep it under wraps. I needed to keep calm because things could get worse. That’s what my mantra was, running through my head, over and over again as I sat down in the empty chair between Aunt Andy and Gran. 

“Miss Black, do you know why we’re here this morning?” Dumbledore asked smoothly, leaning back in his chair.

I shrugged “because you still owe me sour candy?” I asked deflecting and delaying the inevitable. 

The headmaster smiled “nope, I already delivered that to your Grandmother. She assured me she’d put it in a candy bag for you with a note.”

“Oh, I didn’t go through it yesterday,” I admitted “did you get the good…”

Aunt Andy reached over and slapped me upside the head “what were you thinking disrespecting your professors? Insulting one of them continuously? One of them wanted to have you booted out of here, expelled with your wand snapped!”

“Lockhart’s an arse,” I muttered rubbing at my head then said louder “what you on me for then? I’m not the only one who’s disrespectful!”

“Miss Black, this is about you and you are the one constantly reprimanded for it,” Dumbledore said evenly, as if it was an easy fact “this is about your actions and how disrespectable you are to Professor Lockhart.”

“How can I respect a fraudulent, egotistical pen jockey?” I demanded “the man is worthless in that classroom!”

Uncle Ted stepped in “Athena, this is what we’re talking about!”

“I wasn’t being disrespectful,” I pointed out “if I was I would have called him a fucking liar whose only ever gotten anywhere because of his fucking looks,” I cried “the man is a gods-be-damned FRAUD who is fucking worthless. In all my time with Fraser, in all the time we spent amongst the monster hunters and their community, never once did I hear his name be spoken,” I scoffed angrily “if he did everything he claimed too, then he’d be the go to man that everyone would have called; his name would have fucking been the fuck out there! There’d have been stories about the bloody man!”

Dumbledore blinked at me “Miss Black, that language is not needed here and Professor Lockhart’s credentials are not in question…”

“THEY SHOULD BE!” I bellowed incredulously “maybe this wouldn’t be a problem if he was a competent teacher! Maybe there wouldn’t be a problem if this school wasn’t a joke! You claim to be one of the best but you have a skeleton staff for over a thousand children. One teacher for each subject when you should have at least three!” I couldn’t stop myself “there are no support staff, no counselors! You’ve one Head of House to watch out for an average of two hundred and fifty students per house!” I made a sound of disgust as I stood, that seething rage was loose “you’re failing these children and you want to talk to me about disrespect?” 

“How I run my school is not up for debate, Miss Black, nor does it change your punishment,” Dumbledore quirked an eyebrow, that was it “you, as a student, do not have the right to disrespect any member of my staff. They were hired to fulfill a purpose and they do not have to take such flagrant disobedience,” I gritted my teeth as Dumbledore leaned forward in his chair “as punishment for this you will lose 200 points…” 

“WHAT!” I cried, my eyes wide and bugging out, Uncle Ted and Gran made noises of protest “you’re going to get me murdered! Hexed most certainly!”

“Would you like to lose all of them, lass?” Gran asked darkly “say another word and I’ll take them myself. Get yourself under control, lass, before you make this worse for yourself.”

“…and you’ll have detention for the rest of term before the Christmas holidays, and you’ll be under strict curfew rules. You are prohibited from the library, if you need a book you must send a request through Jubilee to Madam Pince, you are prohibited from leaving the castle expect to attend Herbology and you will in your dorm by eight unless accompanied by a professor,” Dumbledore continued as if he hadn’t been interrupted “and you’ll be spending your DADA class time with me.”

I couldn’t breathe as I collapsed back in my chair “but…but…but…they’re going to kill me,” I was staring at the front of Dumbledore’s desk, my mind reeling. I didn’t care at the moment about the restrictions it was the points because “my house is gonna turn on me for this. I didn’t do anything that should account for this!”

Aunt Andy growled softly “you have continued to disrespect your teacher, Athena,” she said pointedly “in front of other students as well. You need to learn to control your mouth, little girl, it could have been worse.” 

“He’s not a proper Professor!” I growl looking up at my aunt with angry tears “he’s a bloody fucking fraud! He don’t know shite! It’s a bloody disgrace that he’s allowed to be called an educator in the first place!”

Aunt Andy pointed a finger at me “watch it, Athena, I won’t be talked that way to.” 

I was shaking with rage, my fist clenched on the arm of the chair “will there be anything else for this inquisition? Hmm…is there an iron maiden waiting for me? It’d be kinder than what the Gryffindors are going to do to me considering they were planning to do last year.”

“I will have a talk with the Gryffindors,” Gran assured me, she didn’t look happy about this either “there will be no retribution for this if I canna help it because I know what you’re capable of, Athena, and I don’t want anyone getting hurt.”

“Oh, I’m the dangerous one, am I?” I demanded, her words hitting me wrong 

“That’s not what I meant, lassie,” Gran evenly, trying to hold her tone.

I just growled looking away from the Scottish woman “am I free to leave no or will there be more of this?” 

“No, you’re dismissed,” Dumbledore shrugged and the door to his office “see you tomorrow, Miss Black, don’t be late.”

“Well, glad to see you all fucking care about my welfare,” I muttered getting up “families are nothing but traitors it seems. Thanks for that lesson.” 

“ATHENA BLACK!” Gran and Aunt Andy called at the same time but I didn’t turn, just kept walking.  
….  
I had no idea where to go at first, that’d be safe. While my brain was trying to puzzle this out, my feet carried me to the Great Hall. It was the shock of cold liquid hitting me that drew me from my daze, and it didn’t stop. I was being pelted with pumpkin juice, syrup, oatmeal and runny eggs; I threw up my arms to protect myself as I stumbled backwards. 

George and Fred pulled me back to safety, throwing up a shield charm to stop the food and the one jinx sent my way. I could hear Harry, Neville, Ron, Hermione, Malcom and Isobel’s screaming voices through the din, then there was the professors’ ringing over the Holmes twins. Fred was using a napkin to wipe my face clean as we walked.

“What did you do, Athena?” George asked softly “Lockhart’s been bragging how nobody gets on his bad side and doesn’t suffer. Then we lose 200 points! What happened?”

“Apparently calling Lock-fart an idiot and pointing out why is frowned upon in this establishment,” I had never felt so defeated in my whole time at Hogwarts “I told them this would happen,” I shook my head, still staring at the floor as they led me back to the dorms “this is punishment for me having a big mouth. They took the points, put me under a strict curfew, gave me two months detention and pulled me from his class. ”

“I think they went overboard,” Fred said in disbelief “what in Merlin’s name were they thinking?!”

I just shrugged as George gave the Fat Lady the password. Jubilee hissed when she seen the state of me, she’d heard what happened even way down in the kitchens. She sent me to the shower and brought me clothes. I scowled when I noticed that my bandages had gotten filthy when I’d thrown up my hands. This meant a trip to the infirmary.   
…  
I felt like crying as I snuck out of the Gryffindor Tower. Fred and George had left saying they needed to find a certain poltergeist and Jubilee had stationed herself at my bed to protect my things; she promised that an elf would always be on duty. That was nice, but who was going to protect me?

That question was answered in the most unlikely of ways imaginable. I’d been about to leave the corridor to the tower when I ran headlong into wall of yellow. No, really, I ran smack into someone and it knocked me backwards. I landed on my bad hand, squealed very loudly at that, and was crying when strong hands pulled me up to sitting. 

“Are you okay?” asked Susan Bones kneeling next to me on the stone floor, Annie and a brown headed boy who played seeker was kneeling were on either side of her. It looked like the rest of their house was behind them. 

I gulped as I looked down at my hand, it really hurt “I really hope that’s ketchup,” I looked at my reddened palm and whimpered pitifully “I’m really starting to hate this place.”

“Hey, there,” the boy said softly and wiped my tears away “you’ll be just fine, we Hufflepuffs will see to it, especially after Fred and George started passing around why you got in trouble.” 

I blinked at him, Annie and Susan “I don’t understand, what?” 

“I’m Cedric Diggory,” the boy held out his hand for me to shake “and we don’t think it’s fair what happened.” I shook his hand

“That makes a group of us then,” I smirked darkly as Cedric helps me to stand and wince as my hand throbbed, it makes my whole arm tingle “ouch! I think I tore the skin.” 

Susan frowned and slid an arm around my shoulders “best get you to Madam Pompfrey then, Miss Black.”

The most of the puffs are sent off to do their own thing as a core group surrounds me, mainly made up of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team (which Megan Jones made it on to), Annie and Susan. Cedric took the lead, keeping his hand on my shoulder and started towards the infirmary. 

Madam Pompfrey was not happy to see what I’d done to my hand, nor was she happy with the fact that Susan and Annie refused to leave when they were told to. The rest of the puffs found themselves nice seats outside the infirmary and waited. The matron finally gave in because she still needed to treat my hand that was starting to sting.

“Two weeks of healing wasted,” the healer growled upon seeing my hand, my palm all torn up and bleeding, she glared at me “all that newer skin will have to be removed and we’ll have to start again!”

“Don’t bloody glare at me, woman,” I gritted out, Susan patted me comfortingly on the shoulder “sorry, but it’s not like I wanted this to happen. You think I enjoy having my hand like this, hmmm? Because that answer is a very big NO!”

“Well, I have to contact Healer Strout,” Pompfrey huffed “don’t move!”

I huffed back at her and looked to Susan “thanks for what you’re doing, Suzie, both of you,” Annie was sitting on the end of my bed “you didn’t have to.”

Susan just smiled and shrugged “we know, but we wanted to.”

“WHAT’S THIS!!?” Madam Pompfrey screamed from the door of her office 

There came Harry, Neville, Ron and a few of the older Gryffindors looking like they’d just lost to Mike Tyson with Gran herding them into the infirmary. They were covered in food bits and blood, some even looked like they tangled with magic. The Hufflepuffs outside looked on with curious intrigue.

“They started a fight, Poppy, in the Great Hall after what happened did ta Miss Black,” Gran growled her accent thickening. Harry and Neville chose the beds on either side of me and Ron the one across from me “I’ve never seen such animosity over something as childish as this! What are ye doing here?” Gran snapped when she seen me. 

“She fell and tore open her hand, Professor,” Susan answered for me, which was probably a good thing “the Hufflepuffs decided that we weren’t going to let her be attacked in such a way so we rallied for her,” Susan had the same fire in her eyes that her aunt did “we believe what was done was unfair.”

“See,” Gran shouted at the older kids “that’s loyalty and I didn’t even know they were friends! They’re not even in the same house! Points can be earned back!”

“How! It took us two months to earn those!” an older boy growled stupidly “she lost them because she couldn’t keep her mouth shut!”

“You’re about to lose more than points because you couldn’t keep yours shut, Mr. Towler,” Gran snapped, she took a breath and looked to Pompfrey “I’ll be back, they are not to leave until then, thank you,” Madam Pompfrey nodded and then went to work as Gran looked to “you and I will be discussing what happened in the headmaster’s office. I was acting in the capacity of your professor and Head of House and as your grandmother, do you understand? I was not betraying you, Athena, I was reprimanding you.”

There were a few sounds of surprise from around the room from Gran’s declaration “no, you were putting me in front of a firing squad for call Lockhart an idiot…”

“That’s what she said!” Towler gaped as he interrupted “we lost points because she told the truth!”

“Mr. Towler,” Gran hissed “be quiet!” the boy threw up his hands and laid back on the bed, Gran looked back to me as “now, lass, you will be coming to my office after dinner for detention. Understood?”

I sighed, defeated “yes, Professor McGonagall.” 

I heard Gran growl, she hated it now when I called her that when we weren’t in class. It meant that I was mad at her or hurt by her and the woman didn’t like that. She came over and kissed my forehead head, whispering that she did love me before she left. 

“Your grandmother is Professor McGonagall?” Kenneth Towler asked and I nodded “that just seems like a harsh game of Russian roulette, you getting your granny today or the professor?” 

I smirked darkly at the older boy “you’ve no idea.”   
…..  
Gryffindor’s ire about the loss of points had not gone away even with Fred and George’s efforts. This was very much clear with the amount of stinging hexes and leg-lock curses that were sent my way on Monday between classes. Not all of them connected because the Hufflepuffs, Hermione and Neville were shielding me as best they could (Harry and Ron had yet to learn protego yet). Too bad for them and the stinging welts on the back my shoulder that Gryffindors could be sneaky if they wanted. 

My mood wasn’t helped when I learned that my detentions would be spent with Snape. It was in the interest of keeping things fair and profession but I felt like she was just handing me off. Gran tried to talk to me about it, she really did, trying to make sure that I was okay but it’s hard to have a conversation with a brick wall.   
Gran did make it so I’d come to her office after dinner and then she’d escort me to and from detention. It was her way of getting a chance to at least talk at me; that’s what her plan was. For the rest of my detention sentence. Best thing about the situation was Snape. Instead of scrubbing cauldrons, he gave me lines on the chalk board because that only required one hand. 

Hermione had been waiting up for me when I got back from my first detention. She’d told me the reason she hadn’t come to see me in the infirmary because all of Gryffindor had been on lock down all of Sunday. There were Hogsmeade privileges were lost for the rest of the year for all but a few. Just another reason to hide, especially if the throbbing, achy sting in my shoulder was anything to go by. I probably should have just gone to the infirmary but I wasn’t facing Pompfrey again. 

Without a word, Hermione let me to the girls’ bathroom and told me to take my shirt off or at least expose my shoulder. Thank the divines for training bras…why are they training bras? To they do tricks as they get older? Seriously? Anyways, I was glad for it because I did feel as naked when Hermione started rubbing an ointment into the tender skin on my back that she’d gotten from Susan. I hate puberty and different bits of my body changing without asking me first. 

Athena, do you want boobs and hair in strange places? No? Well, too bloody fucking bad! Here ya go, no need to thank me, I did it for you, sweet pea! No returns and no refunds! Mother Nature is a bitch! I hope she suffered through puberty.

“You should tell McGonagall about this,” Hermione said when I flinched at her cold, ointment covered fingers “this could get worse.”

“It already is, Myne!” I cried looking over my shoulder at her “if I say anything it will get worse! All that could come of it is them re-sorting me! I’d prefer not to go through that, would you?”

“No!” she cried “I just don’t like seeing you get hurt! It needs to stop!” 

I pulled my shirt back on and buttoned it up before turning to face the weepy girl “I agree but right now the best I can do is to keep my head down.”  
Hermione surged forward and wrapped her arms around my neck, crying into my shoulder before asking “did you bring your copy of Hogwarts: A History to school?”

I burst out laughing, I couldn’t help it “no, sorry,” I shook my head “Nym switched it out for my record player.”

“Good switch but damn…” Hermione wiped at her eyes as she let me go “I was distracting myself and hoping you had it because it calls about the Chamber of Secrets, I think.” 

I nodded and suggested “why not ask Kaylee tomorrow, we have her tomorrow? Right? Just ask her because she actually knows a lot about Hogwarts…and Ilvermorny and Beauxbatons and Drumstrang and almost everything major magicks school there is.”

Hermione nodded and led me from the bathroom. Jubilee was waiting on my bed and looking at one of my comic books that I thought lost. I was surprise to realize that the little elf was actually reading it…she was reading! She looked up startled when Hermione and I got close and she noticed us. All the other girls had gone to bed. 

“Thank you, Jubilee,” I whispered as I hugged her “thank you for everything. I’m sorry that I haven’t said that enough or at all. Thank you for making me laugh at Halloween. I really liked you costume.”

Jubilee blushed and her long ears quivered happily. She hugged me back, gave me my nightly potion and then left. As I crawled into bed I wondered if I should put a shield charm on my curtains just to be safe.   
…  
Hermione did as I suggested, the next day in Kaylee’s class. We’d been talking about Egypt and their unusual relationship with magic; least that’s what we were supposed to be talking about. Near the beginning of class, Hermione had raised her hand and Kaylee sighed.

“Will you be asking about the Chamber of Secrets, Miss Granger?” Kaylee asked leaning back against her desk

Hermione blushed “yes, Professor Parmenter.” 

Kaylee nodded “well, you’re not the first one to ask today, Miss Granger, or even this week, so I shall indulge your curiosity,” she was getting eager looks from the rest of the class “so we all know that Hogwarts was founded by Rowena, Helga, Godric and Salazar. We have our houses named after them, correct?” she asked and most of the class nodded “well, if you remember from last year that near the end of what we call the Roman Empire in 476 A.D., there was a rift between the magical and muggle worlds. This is attributed to the rise and spread of Christianity. Muggles feared wizarding kind, which lead to witch trials. There is a reason that professors go personally to the homes of muggle-borns to explain about the magical world.”

Seamus raised his hand “what does this have to do with the Chamber, ma’am?” 

Kaylee just smiled at him “well, Salazar believed that Hogwarts should be more picky about who they let in, he believed that magic should be kept in all magical families. He honestly believed that muggle-borns who were strictly taught to believe in God were untrustworthy,” she explained “through journal accounts and letters we know that there were several students who had crisis of faith vs. magic and some had gotten rather violent. I’m not saying that muggle-borns are evil…I’m muggle-born myself. However, history must be seen as it is, something that’s already happened and can’t be changed but it can be learned from so we don’t repeat the same mistakes.”

I raised my hand and Kaylee nodded to me “so was Salazar raging against religion or actual muggle-borns themselves?” I asked

“Very good question, Miss Black,” Kaylee beams “and the answer is, we don’t know. Not enough of the founder’s writing still exist to fully answer that. Sure we have the text books they wrote but really nothing of their personal writings,” she shrugged “we do know that this issue led to a big argument and a falling out the founders and Slytherin. However, a legend or story, started amongst the students that Salazar left behind,” Kaylee smiled because almost everyone had leaned forward in their seats “they believed that Salazar had built a chamber somewhere in the school, like his own personal workshop. That when he left, he sealed the chamber so no one but an heir to his bloodline could open it again,” Kaylee sighed and stood “story goes that Salazar left something behind down there, whether it was just mean to guard the chamber, the school or purge the school of those unworthy to learn it’s hard to say. Could all be hogwash too, who can say? Something to just to scare little Slytherins in their beds back in the day…”  
….  
Neville and I followed behind Hermione, Ron and Harry as we fought out way through the crowd to get back to the common room so we could deposit our book bags. Ron was complaining about Slytherin and how there wasn’t enough gold in the world to convince him to be part of that house. I think Ron was missing the fact that there was more than pure-blood mania to Slytherin’s problem with muggle-borns. 

We were almost to the tower when I felt the familiar sting and pinching pain of a stinging hex. It hit me across the small of my back and felt like I’d been whipped with razor wire. I yelped at the same time a boy behind us cried out in pain. Neville kept me on my feet.

Turning, we found that Kenneth Towler was laying on the floor with George and Fred standing over him. The twins were telling him something and the boy was nodding slowly. They grinned and before walking away they both hit him with an orange colored spell that turned Towler into a duck. 

“Sorry we couldn’t stop him in time, Whiskers,” George apologized “he was already casting the spell when we came around the corner.”

“He’ll not to it again, promise you that,” Fred joined in “are you okay, it looked like he got up pretty good.”

“I’m fine,” I lied, they seen through it because my face was pale and I was clammy “thanks for trying, though.” 

The boys just frowned but let it go. It’s not like there was anything they could do to get me to admit it, or anybody else for that matter. They let us go but with a promise from me that I’d let Madam Pompfrey look at my back; that wasn’t happening but I still promised. 

My stomach was growling as we headed down stairs, I was gritting my teeth and trying not to let the hurt show. Ron did make me smile, though, when he shoved the duck out the window and told it to fly. He seemed quite pleased with himself when the duck crash landed into the lake. 

We were almost to the Great Hall, Hermione had a firm grip on my arm when we happened to turn down the corridor that still happened to have the message written in red on it that Filch couldn’t get rid of. There was an empty chair under the torch bracket that’d held Mrs. Norris. 

“Looks like Filch is keeping a lookout,” Neville shook his head “I feel sorry for him, no one should lose a pet like that.”

We all nodded before Harry dropped down to the floor “why not look for clues?”

Ron and Harry were scouring the floor, Neville was inspecting the message and I was tugging on Hermione’s sleeve. When I got her attention I pointed up towards the tops of the windows where a shit-ton of spiders were fleeing out the windows. They were like little acrobats swinging on silvery thread and running the hell away.   
“That’s weird,” Hermione muttered after pointing this out to the boys “never seen spiders do that.”

“Spiders don’t have to have a reason,” Ron gulped “their foul, vile, little creatures that your bothers turn your teddy bear into while you’re holding it.”

Hermione giggled “that sounds like firsthand experience, Ronald,” she giggled again when he glared at her “hey, wasn’t there water on the floor last time?” 

“Yea,” Neville nodded “and it was coming from there, I remember thinking that a burst pipe included into what happened would be shitty luck.”

We went to the door just a few paces from Filch’s chair, Ron stopped as he reached for the tarnished brass knob “can’t go in here,” he pulled his hand away “that’s the girls’ loo.”

Hermione scoffed “no one’s going to be in there,” she was right “its Myrtle’s bathroom,” Hermione pulled me in with her as ignored the ‘out of order’ sign.   
The bathroom was damp, dank and in very much in disrepair. Sinks and windows were both chipped and dirty. There were a few candles that’d been charmed to stay was they were, almost burned down and giving off half-light. Even the stalls hadn’t been spared the wrath of time and neglect. 

“Boys aren’t allowed!” a high pitched and whiny voice screeched “why’d you bring them in here?”

“Hullo, Myrtle, how’ve you been?” I grinned at the ghostly girl 

Myrtle gave me the once over “same as ever, though I do say that you’ve seen better days. Don’t know why you make the others uncomfortable, maybe it’s your hair,” she growled then and zoomed closer “what are you whispering?” she demanded of Harry.

“Nothing,” Harry sputtered with the bluish-white girl only inches from his nose “we just wanted to ask…”

“Who’s been talking about me again?” Myrtle demanded, her fists clenched “I don’t like it when people talk behind my back!”

“Myrtle, love,” I said calmly “Harry wasn’t talking bad about you, I promise. He’s just a boy who hasn’t yet learned to talk to girls…”

“IS THAT RIGHT!” Myrtle screamed in my face and demand with a snarl “and what was it that he wanted to ask?”

This conversation was doomed from the beginning. Myrtle hadn’t seen anything and promptly chewed us out before dive head first into a toilet. Hermione glared at me and told me that it was probably better if I didn’t talk to Myrtle again. Certainly would save me the headache.

Then we ran into Percy as we were coming out of the bathroom. He didn’t buy the story about us hiding from the older students and accused us of snooping. Then the redheaded perfect went on a long rambled about Ginny being worried about us getting expelled and Mrs. Norris and then he went on about House pride. Ron gladly lost the five points jut to make his brother shut up.

We got to dinner halfway through and sat all by our lonesome at the very end of the table. It hurt that Angie refused to talk to me but whatever, worse things have happened in the world. When dinner was over, my friends escorted me to McGonagall’s office and bid me goodnight.


	15. Just One More Day in the Life….

My friends was waiting for me when McGonagall escorted me back to the common room. She growled at me when I refused to call her Gran and I didn’t bid her farewell. The multiple hexes I’d received that day hadn’t helped my mood towards her. I sat down gingerly next to Hermione and started laughing when Harry declared.

“We think that Draco is the Heir of Slytherin,” he sounded so sure about that “his family’s dark…”

“Which side?” I demanded, my laugh ending “you forget that I’m his cousin, does that make me the heir?” 

Ron answered “no, we just think it’s him. Who else would want the muggle-borns and squibs out of Hogwarts? His family’s been in Slytherin for generations. Passing down the key to the chamber.”

“So what exactly are you basing this judgment on?” I was confused 

Neville frowned “they think that it is Draco because his family is dark, he doesn’t like muggle-borns and he’s Slytherin and Hermione has a plan to brew a polyjuice potion to prove it,” Neville looked as skeptical of this plan as I felt “they plan to steal the ingredients from Snape.”

I shook my head “okay, firstly, I can already tell you that it’s not Draco. I’ve no idea who is playing the Heir of Slytherin and stealing from Snape is a very bad idea and I’m not helping!”

Ron rolled his eyes “knew you’d say that!”

“You don’t have to help with the stealing bit,” Harry said quickly, ignoring Ron “we’ve got that covered but we want you to help us. We’re going to turn into either Crabbe or Goyle and question him.”

“I’m not helping with that,” I frowned “I won’t hinder you but I’m not helping. I can’t get into any more trouble, guys. I do and I might as well start packing my trunk and sending Jubilee away with my wand so they don’t snap it,” I shook my head as I stood “I wish you guys all the luck but I say that you’re wasting your time.”  
….  
Jubilee helped put the ointment on my back, hidden behind the divider before I headed off for bed. I was so tired that I was asleep when my head hit the pillow. When I woke the next morning I felt no excitement that it was my birthday. It was just another miserable day. 

The only good thing about having a class with Dumbledore is that the man didn’t treat it like a joke. He did lectures, made me read from an older second year defense book, gave homework and discussed what we had gone over. He even let me go when we finished early, which we did today because our conversation about low powered jinxes finished quickly

I was wiping at tears after leaving Charms. Flitwick had been overly nice and it was overwhelming. He’d kept me behind so I was alone as I headed to the Great Hall and got a face full of cake as I round the corner on the last corridor to said place. Wiping cake from my eyes, I found my wand and rounded on the Gryffindor girl who’d caked me and laughed. The girl put of a good fight but still found herself hanging by her ankles from the rafters trying to keep her skirt from showing off her knickers. She hadn’t been taught to duel by McGonagall. 

“Twenty points to Gryffindor for that marvelous combo!” a squeaky voice called over the clapping of hands, it was Professor Flitwick standing at the end of the hall “though I did have to take points of the use of magic in the hall, using magic on a fellow student and fighting. As a once professional duelist I can honestly say that you have potential, Miss Black,” Flitwick smiled softly as he flicked his wand and cleaned away the cake and frosting from me “but perhaps you shouldn’t use what you’ve learned in the halls, now off to lunch with you! Shoo, shoo!” the little man waved me on before he turned and looked up at the dangling girl “I think, Miss Robbie that you and I need to have a talk in my office.”  
….   
Professor Sprout was bubbly as ever and gave me nearly forty points throughout the lesson, we were taking after Bowtruckles with a severing charm. Before she let me leave, once more the woman gave me a hug like she’d done the year before. I winced when she patted me on the back but played it off when Sprout asked. 

I went straight to the dorms after Potions, well…once I’d made my trip the infirmary for potions and a bandage change and curled up on my bed, wishing this day was over already. There was no way this had been a good day. I slept through the free period and it was Jubilee who woke me for dinner. 

“Hey, sleepyhead,” Hermione called softly, she, Harry, Ron and Neville were just entering the common room “came by earlier looking for you but Jubilee said you were sleeping.”

I yawned and nodded “I was, needed it to, still feel like I could go back to sleep though.”

“Well, we were supposed to tell you that McGonagall wants to see you in her office before dinner.” Ron said before he nodded and disappeared towards his dorm with his book bag 

I deflated a bit “why can’t she leave me alone?”

Hermione hugged me gently around my shoulders “it’ll be alright,” she promised “and you’ll have presents tonight so that’s a plus.”

I just sighed heavily and let Neville, Harry and Hermione led me to McGonagall’s office before they headed down to the Great Hall for dinner. McGonagall’s door opened by itself and I found Malcom and Izzy waiting with McGonagall, who was smiling happily at me. She hurried us into her quarters where dinner had been set with Uncle Ted, Nym and Aunt Andy waiting at the table. I frowned, I really wasn’t in the mood for this and I didn’t go and greet them when they stood.

“I thought you’d be more excited,” Aunt Andy said confused “I thought you’d be happy to see your family!”

I smirked “why should I be?” I asked “you think I’m just like Bellatrix so what’s in the hell is the point?” I demanded before I side stepped her and hugged Nym, asking the bubblegum pink haired girl “please, get me out of here! This place has become hell!”

“They’d catch us before we got to the floo,” Nym chuckled then frowned when I hissed and squirmed away when she’d touched a tender spot on my back “what’s wrong, little cousin?”

There was such concern and warmth that I broke down and started sobbing into her shoulder. Through my tears I told Nym everything that’d happened since Halloween. About everything which meant the stinging hexes to my back and how the Hufflepuffs were trying to protect me. Nym was glaring at McGonagall, Aunt Andy and Uncle Ted as she tried comforting me. 

“So you punish every student this way?” Nym demanded over my shoulder “every student that’s ever insulted a teacher? If that’s the case than you should have done the same to me, most of the Weasleys and all of Slytherin!” 

“Her attitude…” McGonagall started 

Nym cut her off “has always been one of reaction! She uses sarcasm as self-defense. Maybe it’s your attitude that needs checked, Professor!” Nym growled

McGonagall growled “I didn’t want her punished like this!” she cried in frustration “I wanted detentions and the restrictions for her behavior, it cannae go on! She’ll get into more trouble, I’ve tried tell her this but she wilna talk to me!”

Malcom glared at his grandmother “I told you she was getting hexed! Why didn’t you believe me?”

“Because I was hopin’ the lass would come to me and say so!” McGonagall confessed “I didn’t want ta push her further away! She’s my granddaughter and I love her to death and I’d do anything for her but I cannae do anything if she doesna tell me!”

McGonagall was rubbing at the bridge of her nose, on hand on her hip. I frowned, I thought she hadn’t cared and I was mad at her for letting Dumbledore do what he did. Frowning I went over to her and wrapped my arms around her. I don’t know what I really wanted right then but then a thought came to me when McGonagall put her hand on my shoulder blade.  
…..  
Madam Pompfrey hissed when she seen my back and Nym was swearing. I was lying on my front devoid of my shirt. Malcom and Izzy were waiting on the other side of the curtain with Uncle Ted while Nym, had a hold of my ankle and Gran was holding my hand. Guess who got to stay overnight in the infirmary? Me, that’s who. The ointment had been working but repeated abuse was taxing its healing capabilities. 

“I seriously hope this isn’t the earmark of my teenaged years,” I chuckled darkly to Nym, the twins had left with Gran and Uncle Ted, there was still school and work in the morning. Madam Pompfrey had already lathered my back in a thick paste “what a way to turn thirteen.”

Nym smirked “it’ll get better,” she promised “I need to rethink your birthday present though. What’s the point of giving you something that you’re not allowed to use?”   
“Cruel and unusual,” I smirked and then asked “why would Dumbledore do this to me? I know what I said should be punished, the talking back and insulting whatshisface but why this?” 

She shrugged “adults don’t always make the best choices, especially when their under stress. Maybe he really wanted you to learn a ‘lesson’ so to speak,” she said using air quotes. 

“Not happy thoughts,” I told her “not happy thoughts at all.”  
….  
Nym kissed my temple as I was starting to fall asleep. She must have left in the night because when I woke the next morning Nym was dressed differently and she came with gifts. My back no longer hurt and it was no longer bruised. Which was good as Nym gave me a long, white sleeved shirt. 

“It’s a Auror shirt,” she explained “made and enchanted so that low level spells, like stinging spells can’t hit you but feels like you’ve been tapped and they make most potions inert. I got you several.”

The shirt felt smooth and soft as I slipped it on, I felt safe and warm as it hugged to my skin. I grinned at Nym and nodded before I finished dressing. Not only did she get me several different ones, different colors but she even grabbed some tee-shirts and tank-tops too. 

Nym escorted me to the Gryffindor tower, Madam Pompfrey had let me sleep late so that meant that I’d missed the first class of the day. Also meant that I had time before I had to get to Charms. We found my presents piled on my bed. Mostly I’d gotten books on dueling, magical creatures, comic books and one book about Quidditch. I’d also gotten candy, a light weight stone chess set (muggle), funny socks and a photo album from Aunt Cissy given to me via Nym.

I frowned and looked up at Nym “is Aunt Cissy okay?” I asked “she hasn’t returned any of my letters and she isn’t sending care packages.”

Nym frowned “she’s…she’s…well, it’s tough to answer that. Lucius cracked down on her over the summer for spending so much time with us. He forbid her from contacting you or mum. I’m in constant contact with her through a house elf.”

My heart sank “so her husband’s abusing her? Is that why Draco’s being a prat?” I asked 

The older girl just shook her head “forgot you were so smart but yes, I would imagine so.”

I blinked a few times, my mind racing “how can we help her?” I asked “wasn’t there something in that one book that said that we can offer her sanctuary or something? If a woman is not happy with a marriage then she has the right to seek sanctuary with her house…or something? I’m fuzzy on the details.”

“Yes,” Nym nodded “but she can only plead her case with the Head of House and that idiot’s in Azkaban. We already looked into that.” 

“Oh…” I deflated a bit “is there anything we can do for her?” 

Nym smiled at me and pinched at my cheek “we’re working on it, little cousin, you just worry about school, yea. Just keep your head down and stick with the puffs.”   
….  
That Friday blew by fast. Flitwick, Sprout and Kaylee seemed intent on helping me make up the points that’d been taken. First, Flitwick awards fifteen points for proper wand movements to me and another fifteen to Hermione for being the first to get it right. Before Flitwick let me leave, he told me that if I ever had any questions about dueling to let him know. I nodded and thanked him; wondering if that’d somehow make Saturdays easier. 

Sprout had done much the same but she spread the points out over all the Gryffindors. The woman blushed when I told her what the puffs were doing for me, well…what they were trying to do. I was very grateful and it made me feel bad to think that being placed in Hufflepuff was a punishment. Kaylee seemed to be giving extra points to all houses for correct answers. 

As for Snape…well, he wasn’t as snarky and didn’t take away as many points as he normally did. He did happen to causally mention while he was berating Neville that he’d already made a sixth year Gryffindor cry just that morning. Once you got past his bat like qualities and the snark, Snape wasn’t that much of a prat. 

When Transfiguration came and I really made McGonagall mad when I refused to answer her questions. Course, I was mad the longer this punishment had gone and despite last night I was still fuming. Gran…no, McGonagall held me back after class. It was the last class of the day so she didn’t have another class coming in.

“Why are you mad at me?” McGonagall asked “I thought we had this sorted, Athena.”

I snorted angrily “no, we’re didn’t! There was no need to punish me that harshly, like Nym said. I’m not even allowed in the fucking library or to go outside! My housemates have turned on me!” I snarled at her, it was a little disturbing that my tempers had been so close to the surface these days “and you think you’ve the right to be hurt by this? Well, when they start throwing hexes at you, let me know and we’ll be in the same boat,” I just shook my head at her “why? Why didn’t you try harder? You were there that night, why didn’t you reprimand me then? What changed? Whose ass did Lockhart have to kiss to have this happen?” 

“You also insulted Professor Snape…”

I laughed “but he isn’t calling for my head! Why don’t you just expel me and get it over with! For fuck sake! It’d be kinder than what you have done!”

“That’s the tone we’re talking about right, there lass!” McGonagall pointed out “that’s what’s getting you into trouble. If you’d just take a moment to realize this…” 

“I TRUSTED YOU!” I screamed at her “I trusted you to protect me! As the Head of my House and as my grandmother and you me failed again! My back was a fucking jigsaw puzzle of bruises and welts because not even the might of Hufflepuff can make the Gryffindors back off!” the woman gaped at me “you protected no one but Lockhart’s precious ego. You don’t care, you really don’t because if you did then you would have found a different punishment. Detentions or an apology to that bleeding idiot, not this!” 

McGonagall came away from her desk and grasped my face in her hands “I tried to make Dumbledore go lenient with you! We’d talked him down but you ran your mouth again, lass. This all could have been avoided if ya’d have kept quiet. You were doing so well, too,” the woman was watery eyed “you were recovering and you had a handle on your temper or you were moving that way,” she sat in the desk beside me so we were close to eye level “it was the disrespect that got you into trouble, not who it was too, my little lion. You can’t always be foul mouthed and cracking wise remarks; Athena, you have to learn that sometimes the better part of valor is discretion.”

“But he…he…AHHH!” I roared in frustration grasping at her wrists “why are you listening to me?!”

“Why are you listening to me?” McGonagall asked softly wiping my tears away with her thumbs “Lockhart doesn’t matter, this was never about him but how you reacted to him. We are only accountable for our own reactions, Athena. Don’t you see, lass?” McGonagall’s voice was almost pleading “this is about you the whole time, about you and your temper.”

Tears of frustration and tears were overwhelming and McGonagall let me cry onto her shoulder. We stayed that way for a long while until my tears had stopped. The woman used a charm to wet a handkerchief she’d conjured and washed my tear stained cheeks. With an arm over my shoulder she led me to the Great Hall for dinner, whispering that we’d postpone our dueling lessons for this week.   
…..  
I woke the next morning with the sun in my eyes. Hermione was sitting up in bed, fully dressed, reading one of my books and looking at me questioningly as I blinked at her. I think she’d been excepting to be woken up early so we could to learn dueling but that hadn’t happened because Gran decided to give me a rest.  
When I was dressed, which I took my time for, we headed down to breakfast. Gran kept glancing at me from the professors’ table while Lockhart wore this smug look. I was sitting with the Ravenclaws today. From the glares I was getting from the Gryffindor chasers I wondered what lies Lockhart had beep spouting about me. 

It was frustrating and I left halfway through breakfast. Mostly because everyone was talking about the upcoming match and I didn’t want to hear about it. Neville caught up with me on my way out. I looped my arm through his as an idea hit me. 

“Neville,” I told him “I think it’s time that we take a leaf out of the twins’ notebook.”

He looked at me wearily but followed along. We made our plans while waiting for everyone to head off to the game, not that we really did wait that long but whatever, our plan still worked. It was awesome, really. 

We found the DADA room unlocked and made Lockhart pay for that slip up. Neville and I made quick work of shacking the desks up against Lockhart’s office door and gluing them together and to the door with a charm that Neville had learned from a cousin. We left one desk out which we stole. The whole while we worked, Lockhart’s portrait was nowhere to be seen. 

Neville and I were almost to Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom when Cedric flagged us down. He raised an eyebrow at us as his flicked from the desk to us. I don’t think he believed that we’d snagged it from an abandoned classroom and that we were putting it Myrtle’s bathroom but he did help by holding the door open for us. 

Then the older boy grabbed my hand and pulled me along with him to an upper level classroom that wasn’t in use. I mean, I think it had been a classroom once but now it had been converted. There were plush chairs and a table with binoculars all gathered around a very large plate window that over looked the grounds. 

“There you lot are!” Susan Bones cried from the other side of the room where there was a long table of snacks, drinks and Quidditch themed decorations. It looked like the Hufflepuff Quidditch team had gathered with, Annie, Luna, Izzy, Malcom and Ginny “what took so long, the games about to start!”

Cedric laughed “I found them taking a pilfered desk into Myrtle’s bathroom.”

“What for?” Tamsin Applebee (chaser) asked tilting her head at us curiously.

Neville and I looked at each other, then looked back and shrugged “good place to hang out and not be bothered,” Neville offered “isn’t like she can go to the library to do homework.”

“Beyond that,” I added “don’t ask, plausible deniability.”

Luna giggled as Cedric dragged me and Neville over to the table “I bet they did something to Lockhart room.”

“Meh…” Neville and I shrugged and said in unison, that girl was too smart for our own good.   
….  
As it turned out, that class had the perfect overlook of the Quidditch pitch and this wasn’t the first time that the Hufflepuffs had commandeered the room. However, they just didn’t necessarily use it all the time, just when they didn’t want to go out in the weather or when friends get unfairly punished. We gathered at the window with the enchanted binoculars glued to our faces as the game started. 

“What is Potter doing?” Herbert Fleet asked, he was the keeper “all that pretty flying isn’t helping find the snitch.”

“I think he’s trying to avoid that bludger,” Cedric commented “look at it go after him.”

“Think the thing’s gone rouge?” Heidi Macavoy (chaser) asked, you could hear her frown

Gryffindor wasn’t faring well. The chasers were working overtime with Fred and George occupied on saving Harry from the bludger. It seemed the thing was very intent on smashing Harry to bits. The Hufflepuffs gave it interesting commentary. 

We didn’t see what happened after Harry went shooting after Malfoy, who’d been hovering (bad seeker move) but the score board gave Gryffindor the win. This is when the snacks and drinks were consumed. The Quidditch players were going over the performance, while the first years were doing blow by blow reenactments; Ginny just looked worried. 

I grabbed an extra butterbeer and sat down next her, handing the drink over and asked “so, how’ve you been, Ginger?” I asked and laughed when she raised an eyebrow at me 

“Fine,” she lied and glared at me when I snorted contemptuously “what was that for, Whiskers?”

I shook my head “you’re not fine, don’t lie to me like that. I perfected that lie, Ginger, try again because your lie lacks the subtly tones to be believed.”  
Ginny huffed and admitted “I’m alright…I just…I worry about Mrs. Norris, I feel so bad about what’s happened to her.” 

“Could be worse,” I told her “she could be dead instead of petrified which, by the way, petrified is a state that can be reversed.”  
Ginny just shook her head “but what if someone else winds up that way?” she asked 

“In my experience, dead is something that you can’t come back from,” it was true...sort of “except as a floating, moaning, bluish-white pain in the arse,” I smiled at her “Ginny, if it happens again be thankful that petrification can be fixed. Small miracles and all that.”

“What about the person doing it?” she was really frowning now 

I paused for a moment before patting her on the shoulder “well, I was always told that everybody has a reason for everything they do. Also, comic books taught me that everyone has a backstory, except the Joker,” I frowned at that “anyways, I’m being confusing but just know that everyone gets caught and when they do they’ll get the chance to say why they did it.”


	16. Small Beginnings to Big Complications…

Ginny, Malcom, Neville were very concerned to learn that Lockhart had vanished all the bones in Harry’s arm. Well, I was too once I stopped laughing at Ron’s description of Harry’s rubber arm, he was mimicking it flopping about. He’s impression of Lockhart was very good, so good that most of the girls in the common room were glaring at him with annoyance. Hermione smacked me with her copy of Moste Potente Potions when I couldn’t stop giggling. 

I caught the giggles again after dinner when a rumor spread that someone had vandalized Lockhart’s classroom. It seems that someone had found Neville and I’s work and…improved upon it with several charms that made the wall of desks hiss and bite at anyone who got to close. There was also word that the desk had wigs that mimicked Lockhart’s hair and the desks complained about how the roughness of the people trying to pull them apart was messing up their hair. Professor Snape was telling the Slytherin table in a loud chiding/not chiding manner. 

There was no happy moods early the next morning. Gran woke the whole house using Jubilee and another house-elf. She and Dumbledore gathered the house in the Great Hall, it was the only place where the two hundred plus of us would fit all at once, comfortably without magic. They had us gather near the end of the tables. 

“Last night Colin Creevy was attacked by an unknown assailant,” Dumbledore announced solemnly, I felt Malcom slip his hand into mine and hold on like it was the only thing keeping the young boy from falling to his knees “he is alive but in a petrified state. We are able to help him once the mandrakes are ready to harvest.”   
“I’m here for anyone who needs to talk,” Gran called to the shell shocked house of Gryffindor “my door is always open for anyone who needs it, we can talk about anything you want,” her eyes passed over us “please don’t hesitate.”  
….  
When we were excused from the Hall, Malcom let go of my hand and rushed to Gran. Colin was he’s best friend, I hesitated when he started crying into her but Gran waved me on as she had this covered. Just outside the Hall, Hermione wrangled Neville, Ron and I and herded us to Myrtle’s Bathroom; the girl had a plan.   
Harry found us in Myrtle’s bathroom, it was after breakfast was over and Hermione had ‘let’ us go get our school stuff while she gathering her supplies for the polyjuice potion. The boy’s hair was messier than normal and he looked ill-rested, like he’d only gotten a couple hours of sleep. 

He sat down next to Neville and mine’s desk that Hermione was still glaring at us about and Ron looked curious but knew better than to ask. Ron was also looking at the chairs we nicked from a nearby ‘unused’ classroom, the padded rolly, twirly one was nice (even if it did have Property of Gilderoy Lockhart stamped on the bottom); however, the boy was smart and avoided them because Hermione’s evil eye was rather scary. 

“There was another attack last night,” Harry said tiredly on the office chair.

Hermione cut off what he was going to say “we know,” she told him “Dumbledore and McGonagall told us this morning. Gathered everyone in the Great Hall. That’s why we didn’t come see you, Harry, we…” there was coughing protests from Ron, Neville and I “fine,” Hermione rolled her eyes “I thought it’d be a good idea to get started on the potion. It takes a month to brew.”

“A month?!” Ron choked in surprise “but Malfoy…oi!” I threw a crumpled up paper ball at his head.

“St. Weasley, you don’t know that it is Draco, so I’d appreciate as his blood relative that he remain innocent until proven guilty,” I said loftily “thank you!”  
Ron growled “fine, as I was saying…whoever doin’ this could take out half the muggle-borns by then.”

Hermione snapped then. She went off on Ron about breaking rules and the statistics of being attacked. Neville, Harry and I kept quiet and watched the horror on Ron’s face as Hermione built up her head of steam. 

Harry leaned over and whispered to me “I think you’ve been a bad influence on her,” Neville and I just both nodded.   
….  
November passed away slowly as our days were spent avoiding Percy to sneak into Myrtle’s bathroom. It was quickly becoming my favorite place in the castle because it felt like a world apart from the place and it was peaceful. Well, once I got to know Moaning Myrtle. I had gotten very bored with Hermione’s potion that she was constantly fussing over when we weren’t doing homework. 

Two weeks after Colin’s attack my hand was deemed healed. Jubilee had made up Claire’s lotion and I was given gloves to protect my hand from the cold. Thus, I was more mobile than I had been before. My hand was still tender and the skin felt tight but it didn’t stop me from climbing up to Myrtle’s recessed, giant round window.   
Her name was Myrtle Elizabeth Warren and she’d been born in 1929. Her parents were muggles and I don’t know if they’d ever know she was a witch and that she’d been accepted into Hogwarts. Myrtle and the other children of southern England had been evacuated from London and the surrounding towns during Operation Pied Piper in 1939; she’d been lucky enough to have an elder cousin who lived in the country that she could go to and not some stranger. 

She’d been there when her letter came and there’s where she went for the summer holidays. A professor had come and had taken the girl Diagon Alley, Myrtle had been six days into her first school term when The Blitz started on September 7th, 1940. I listened intently, completely engrossed as the ghostly girl talked about her school days. 

How, instead of taking the Hogwarts Express to London, the ministry had set up portkeys for the leaving students. I found it curious that they didn’t just keep the English students over the summer, they travelled that way until the railways had been repaired after the war had ended; not that Myrtle was alive for that. It would have been easier than sending them back to strange homes. Myrtle just laughed at that question, she floated away still laughing at me.

When she would talk to me next, Myrtle told me about how she’d never been able to make friends. She’d worn horned rimmed glasses and had a slight case of acne, her baby fat still clung to her making her a bit pudgy. 

The ghost girl giggled and would have liked to have blushed when I told her I thought her classes were cute, given the chance I thought that Myrtle could have blossomed in a very beautiful woman. I wasn’t sure why Myrtle had giggled like that. She had giggled harder when she noticed Hermione’s jealous glare; Myrtle was very delighted when whispered that to me. I had no idea why Hermione was ‘jealous’ and chalked it up to Myrtle’s need for drama.

Myrtle wouldn’t talk about how she’d died but she did say that her biggest tormentor, Olive Hornby, was the one to find her. For years afterwards, Myrtle haunted the girl. Never let her live down what she’d done to Myrtle or how Olive found her hours after the third year had died and it only stopped when Olive when to the ministry to make Myrtle stop. Thus, Hogwarts became the ghostly girl’s permanent home.   
….  
Only other things of significances that happened in November was Gryffindor’s wrath had not diminished; they apparently didn’t care that all lost points had been earned back in full and with extra. Lockhart’s desk chair kept having things happen to it, it was quickly becoming the bane of his existence. Malcom had demanded that Gran teach him dueling or he’d make me do it and my friendship with Daphne Greengrass grew stronger each Potion’s class. 

Daphne was actually a nice girl once she was away from Pansy Parkinson; girl was only friends with Parkinson because it was just easier than going against the flow. As it turned out, Daphne was really good at potions but didn’t really care for it. Daphne’s family were jewelry makers and deep into business with the dwarves and dark elves of Scandinavia. Metal work and gems doing business around the globe. It wasn’t easy to be Daphne’s friend outside of class because of that whole Slytherin vs. Gryffindor thing. 

Mal, on the other hand, was not in a very happy place. Colin had wanted Mal to go with him that night to see Harry but Mal said no. I probably shouldn’t have pointed out that if Mel had been there than it probably would have ended a lot worse, for both boys. Mal didn’t even know how to protect himself much less Colin. That’s when the boy kicked me in the shin and stomped away; he left a bruise. 

As for Lockhart’s chair, I can honestly say the only thing I did to it was steal it; the first time. I’ve no idea who but someone was charming the thing every time they had the chance and they were my hero. The thing had danced, sang children’s songs, rolled away from Lockhart every time he tried to sit down, thought itself a dog and morphed into a wooden dragon that spewed glitter for three days. Again…my hero.

…oh, and Kenneth Towler showed back up. The enchantment on him had worn off and Hagrid found him along the edge of the lake. Kenneth had become a mama, as it would seem that the Weasley boys had turned him in to a female duck. By happenstance the boy had found one of the last ducks in Scotland and laid eggs. Even after the boy’s return the drake was following the boy around the castle and honking at him. The drake was not happy when Towler got too far from their nest in the boys’ dormitory.   
….  
Were November passed slowly, freaking December speed by. Before I knew it, Gran was going around collecting names for those staying through the holidays. They must have figured this was safer than having everyone come to her office. There’d been no real word about what the guardians wanted so I put my name down after Harry’s; only one going home was Neville because even Draco was staying. 

“Why’d you put your name down, lass?” Gran asked irritated when I gave the clip board and sheet back “we’ve plans, ya know, with Bridget, Daniel and the older boys at Teine Cloiche House,” she glared at me “Andromeda and Edward already agreed, Mr. Potter is invited too!”

“No one told us that!” I glared right back at her “besides, I don’t want to go to the Tonks’s for the holiday. All my friends are staying, except Neville and I kinda do count St. Weasley as a friend after the whole puking of the slugs incident.”

“That’s not the point, Athena!” Gran said softly “there were plans made!”

I folded my arms cross my chest “I wasn’t made aware of them, my name is already down and you can’t make me change my mind! Perhaps someone should have clued me or Harry in before now.”

Gran growled and promised me that this wasn’t over. I just shrugged and watched the witch stomp out of the common room. I was going to avoid Andromeda Tonks for as long as possible and if that meant fighting Gran on this; well, consider me a general in my own war.   
….  
It was that Thursday that Harry and Hermione put their plan of stealing into actions. I was wondering when they were going to get to that part of the plan and I still wanted nothing to do with it…at all. Could be why I wasn’t told what they were going to do just that it was happening and Hermione was the master thief. Bushy haired girl had the cleanest record of us and wasn’t likely to get expelled. 

To be honest, I’d forgotten about the plan by the time that Potions came along. There were several attempts to hex me between classes but Nym’s Auror shirts had blocked them, I put another Gryffindor hanging from the rafters on my way to Charms from Dumbledore’s office. Flitwick told me that if he ‘caught’ me again I was going to get more detention, then after Charms class he’d lent me a second book about dueling with a conspiratorial wink. 

Then, in Herbology, one of the giant man-eating Venus flytraps went berserk. Hagrid had been in there helping move the dragon manure sacks about. He’d been trying out a new cologne and apparently the female flytrap had really, really liked how he smelled. The whole event bordered between comical and horrifically scarring; Professor Sprout had to ice the plant down and send it into early hibernation…cause that plant hibernates and has crushes on half-giant groundskeepers. 

So when we reached potions, I was still laughing at the horrified look on Hagrid’s face when the plant started gesturing to him suggestively like I’d seen street walkers do to attract clients. The best was when it blew him a kiss, I was useless after that. Hagrid had carried me out of the greenhouse and had threatened to dump me in the lake if I didn’t stop laughing, apparently I’d been in the way of people actually trying to helping the situation. 

“What are you smiling about?” Daphne asked as I sat down beside her, we were still potion buddies 

“When you have Herbology next, in Greenhouse 4,” I sniggered “don’t stand next to a tosser wearing cologne. The flytraps are feeling frisky.”

Daphne’s eyes went huge “oh, Merlin! Who did that?”

I leaned close and whispered “Hagrid did, testing out a new brand and its flytrap approved,” that set Daphne to giggling and she continued to giggle when I quickly gave her the details “I swear I’ve never seen a plant act like that before. It was the best thing ever!” 

Daphne didn’t get a chance to respond because Snape entered the dungeon room with a perfect swish of his cloak and barked out for silence. We were working on a Swelling Potion today. Daphne got the ingredients as I got the cauldron ready; this was a good routine we’d picked up since September but we were both glad I could use two hands now. I could cut things safely now, yay!

We were almost done with the potion when I happened to see Harry do something stupid. I’d seen him out of the corner of my eye just before he set off a damn firework and was aiming it at Goyle’s stupid cunt of a cauldron. Goyle, by the way, was only two desk back of mine and the boy never seen it coming. The firework went off, screamed across the room and exploded in the cauldron. 

I had enough time, acting on instinct, to wrap my arms around Daphne and turn my back to Goyle. Daphne shrieked like most everyone else in the room when the boom happened, then there was chaos. I didn’t let go of Daphne until she said she was okay; I know that I was okay even though I’d felt some of the liquid hit my back. Nym’s Auror shirt came through for me again, it’d made the potion inert. 

Snape got the room under control, quickly shouting for those affected to come up to the front for the Deflating Draught. Poor Draco’s nose was still growing as he hurried to the front of the room which looked painful. I glanced over at Hermione and Harry as I shucked my outer robes, rolling them up before stuffing them in my bag. 

When everyone had been taken care of, Snape made sure everyone was okay before investigating. He came round to where Daphne and I were carefully cleaning up our station and trying to determine if our potion had been contaminated. 

“Why didn’t you come up for the draught, Black?” Snape demanded “clearly your station was drenched!”

“Oh…Auror training shirt, sir,” I held up my arm and pulled the sleeve out of button-up’s cuff to show him the blue shirt “Nym got it for me for my birthday back in November, been wearing them ever since.”

“Is that right? Do you know what happened then, Black?” he sneered 

I shook my head and frowned I felt something collide with the Great Wall in my head “well, that was rude, sir,” I glared at him as the probing force pulled away and folded my arms across my chest 

Snape just blinked at me before he scowled, poor Daphne looked confused “we’ll talk about this in your detention tonight, Black!” the Potions’ Master sneered and skulked away.  
….  
Potions ended not long after Snape found a spent firework casing inside Goyle’s cauldron. If looks could kill than Harry would have been a very dead duck. He was freaking out about it when we got to Myrtle’s bathroom. We’d gone there straight after class because Hermione had wanted to add the boomlang skin and the bicorn horn immediately. 

Harry threw himself on to the office chair and held his head in his hands, his elbows on his knees as he started freaking out “oh, god, oh, god, oh, god…he knows, SNAPE FUCKING KNOWS!” he cried…and there was my influence on him “the man knows it was me, he’s going to come after me now. He’s going to swoop out of the dungeons in a bat like fashion and he’s going to land on me with both feet!” I just watched Harry with a little amusement; he sort of deserved it “I’m going to be expelled and Aunt Andy and Uncle Ted are going to kill what’s left over when Snape’s done with me.”

From above us Myrtle started laughing “and I thought I had a flare for the dramatics.”

Harry glared at her as Ron patted him on the shoulder “nah, mate, Snape knows nothing;” Ron was very confident in that statement “if he did, he’d have gotten ya right there in class.”

For the rest of our free period Ron, Neville and I kept teasing Harry about what things Snape would do to him if caught. Of course, we were scolded by Hermione once she realized what we were doing; she’d very intent on the potion cooking over her Bluebell Flame. Hey! That was one spell I hadn’t cast this year, whoop!   
….  
We left the haunted lavatory when just a bit before dinner was to start. I broke away from the group when I spotted Professor Flitwick down at the other end of the hallway. He paused when I called out to him and hurriedly jogged over to the miniature professor. I’d been reading his book from earlier after Hermione had made us stop mocking Harry. 

“Yes, Miss Black?” he asked with a grin, I often wondered if the man had been hit with too many cheering charms in all the years since he’d come to teach here.   
I let out a long breath as I fetched his book from my bag “I was wonder if you could answer a question really quick for me from the book you lent me.” 

His eyes lit up and he bounced a little in eagerness “of course, of course, please by all means.” 

Good grief, the man’s excitement was contagious “right, so, I was wondering about the ‘Whiskey on the Rocks Faint’ the Americans came up with. I’m didn’t quite understand how they pull it off,” I frowned in confusion “do they cast the water spell and the freezing charm in one breath and then the disarming charm or is there pauses in between behind shields?”

“Well…” Flitwick stared but was stopped when another voice entered our conversation 

An overly bubbly voice called out “I can answer that!” Flitwick tensed at Lockhart’s voice and I bite my cheek until I tasted blood as the man quickly lumbered his way closer, he’d been coming down the hall from behind us “they do it in one breathe, you see,” Flitwick looked at me and shook his “first they conquer a water sprout…or was it a daemon?”

“Forgive me, Mr. Lockhart,” I interrupted him, praying to whichever divine that’d listen that I kept my temper in check “but while I’m sure that you have…experience in…matters of…some kind, I was actually asking Professor Flitwick. See he’s a championship dueler and was professional for a decade, that’s if I’m not mistaken,” I tried to smile politely “however, I’m not, not wanting your advice, but from what I’ve read there is a vast…difference between dueling to survive and dueling to win a match. Rules and spells and such.”

Professor Flitwick smiled and clapped his hands together “very good Miss Black, take ten points for knowing about professional dueling,” the man knew I was well verse on the sport, he and Gran had talked about it; he also knew that Gran was only letting me work on defensive spells and the fundamentals “and to answer your question, the ‘Whiskey Faint’ is set up in three stages. First is the water spell, this can be used to soak an opponent or the floor or both,” he explained “now what makes it a ‘faint’ is you can either freeze the floor or your opponent’s clothes. There is usual a spell, either shield or another offensive spell cast but then comes the freezing charm and then disarmament. It only works if you can make your first move look like it’s an individual move.”

Lockhart was gritting his teeth as I thanked Flitwick for the explanation. The happy little professor then shooed me along to dinner and told me to remember him or Gran next time I had a question. I forgot about the seething Lockhart as I hurried to the Gryffindor table. I wrote what I’d been told down in what Hermione called my ‘dueling journal’ that went everywhere with me.   
….  
Snape did question me about my mental barrier that night in detention. Did so the moment Gran had left. I shrugged, still writing lines, and told him of China. Most of it anyways, basic outline, really. Fundamentals was that a Chinese witch taught me how to shield my mind if I did grunt work for her while Fraser and Kaylee were busy. 

He scowled when he didn’t get the details. Don’t know why it was so important to him; just because I’d been well trained wasn’t something to get fussy over. Maybe he was just upset or frustrated that he couldn’t just enter my mind as easily as he could someone else’s. I’ve no clue, but the man fumed and pouted all evening.   
Snape watched me closely in class after that. He didn’t see much other than my easy friendship with Daphne. Her relaying the best gossip from Slytherin house and the latest calamity that’d befallen Lockhart’s chair that he refused to sit in now. Myself, I gave her Gryffindor gossip and told her of the places that I’d been. Daphne was more interested in the magic than the places themselves. 

For a week he did this until he gave up. Something worse was happening in our little realm that was more attention grabbing than my mental barrier. Snape was very surly when I came to detention nearly six days later. Instead of lines, he sat me down at the front row and glared at me before asking.

“Did you mention dueling around Lockhart?” he wanted to know “almost all the professors know that McGonagall is teaching you,” he sneered slightly “as long as it’s not too advanced, we could have cared less.”

“Uhhh…” I just blinked at him “he interrupted a conversation I was having with Professor Flitwick a week ago, give or take, sir,” I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach “why do you ask?”

“Because Lockhart has convinced Dumbledore that we need a dueling club so everyone can learn not just privileged few,” we both scowled at that “I have been commandeered to help. Lockhart felt that if Flitwick or McGonagall were to help than there would favoritism showed.”

I blinked at him “but…McGonagall’s never shown favoritism! She’s taken the same amount of points from me as she has from Draco! I think Flitwick likes everyone unless you’re being a bully!” I glowered then added quickly “sir.” 

Snape rolled his eyes and drawled, unamused “you do not have to tell me this!” he sighed then “now, this brings me to another issue. I will commute the rest of your detentions but you have to go to dueling club. If I have to suffer, so do you, Black.” 

“But…but…but…” I sputtered “I avoid Lockhart like he as the plague! The man is very damaging for my calm!”

Snape just grinned like he’d won a first prize “good, then this should be a fabulous test to put that Ross restraint to the test. Merlin knows that Robert and Bellatrix did you no favors in the temper department.”


	17. What’s a Little Duel…?

When Harry and Hermione found the notice the next day about the dueling club, Ron and Neville agreeing that it’d be useful; they all thought my surliness over the matter was because it wasn’t a one on one interaction with Gran. I honestly couldn’t bring myself to them the truth and I’d been trying to distract them from this development by mention the catalogues that Nym had sent me that morning. It didn’t work. 

Went to Gran’s like I normally would. She still wasn’t every pleased with me about the winter holiday plans. We sat silently in her office after dinner until it was time for dueling club. I spent the time surfing the catalogue and making a list of who, what, order number and price. Gran had me at the Great Hall by eight, she told me that 

Professor Snape would escort me back to Gran’s office when the club was over.   
The Great hall had been clear of all tables and benches, except for one table that’d been transformed into a dueling track platform. There were a dozen or so training dueling tracks traced onto the floor, each one numbered and half the length of what a professional dueling track would be. I slipped in next to Hermione, who looked generally surprised to see me.

“Shouldn’t you be in detention?” she asked getting the boy’s attention 

I shrugged “I was let out on good behavior,” I said sourly, glaring at the dueling track “and ordered to be here.” 

Hermione, at least, accepted that and lopped her arm through mine as she asked “I wonder who’ll be teaching this.” 

“Maybe it’ll be McGonagall,” Neville said excitedly “or Professor Flitwick. I’ve been practicing, ya know.”

I gave him the thumbs up. He had been practicing in Myrtle’s bathroom when our homework was done and Myrtle was off somewhere else. We’d taken to trying out different hexes and testing them against our shield spells. Most of the jinxes were upper levels and wouldn’t be covered until later years but, let’s face it we were those who’d already learned this stuff. 

“So it is going to them?” Ron asked anxiously 

I sighed “no, sorry, I was just giving Nev the thumbs up for our practicing, as for whom leading this, Ron, we’ve never been that lucky.”

Before he could ask what I mean, the crowd suddenly went quiet and parted as Lockhart strutted towards the dueling platform, Snape following and glaring at everyone. The man flounced and winked at the older girls. I slapped Hermione’s shoulder when she swooned at man’s smile. She glared at me and punched my shoulder as hard as she could.

“Can you all see me?” he called, posturing in his sickeningly purple robes and gold colored cape; which was tossed to the crowd and caught where Angie and Katie Bell fought over it “can you all hear me?” he asked and then smiled “well, I see we’ve a good turn out tonight, you all know my assistant; Professor Snape,” he winked at Snap who glowered at him “now, the headmaster has decided it’d be a good idea to start this little club; make sure that more than a select few know how to properly defend themselves like I’ve done on countless occasions.”

I growled at the dig, my calm was starting to struggle and again when the man flashed a smile and Hermione swooned. The girl looked confused and hurt when I jerked my arm away from her and went to stand next to Ron on the other side of Harry and Neville.

It was better this way because when Snape knocked Lockhart on his backside trying to demonstrate how to properly disarm someone, I didn’t get hit for cheering on Snape. I was just as loud as the Slytherins, probably the only time that Harry and Ron would ever cheer for the man. Snape quirked a dark eyebrow at me when he noticed I was cheering for him. 

Lockhart was flushed as he climbed to his feet and straighten “ah, yes!” he called stumbling “very good, good choice to show them that...err, my wand, ah- thank you, Miss Brown,” Lavender looked like she’d was looking at Merlin himself as she let Lockhart take his wand back “very good in deed but it was pretty obvious what you were going to do and if I’d wanted I could have stopped you with just…”

“HA!” I cried loudly, hadn’t meant to do that, and so to cover it up I stomped my foot loudly twice before looking around, everyone was staring at me “oh, sorry there was a spider! Got it!”

“AHH!” Ron jumped and ran around to the other side of Hermione “I don’t like spiders!”

Snape sighed loudly “if the Gryffindors would place get ahold of themselves so we may continue?” 

I’m not sure how many people believed my cover up. Lockhart certainly didn’t believe. This was evident when he started pairing us up for practice or maybe he just wanted to punish me some more when he tried paring me with Kelly Robbie; same sixth year that I’d dangled from the rafters. Snape stopped him, something about age appropriateness and placed me against Pansy Parkinson.   
…  
Poor Pansy got hit by her own spell when I cast a shield charm; the grey spell rebounded and the girl turned sickly green. She grabbed her stomach and started throwing up slimy, spotted newts. The girls around her who’d hurried over to see she was okay started screaming and dancing away from the scurrying amphibians.

“I SAID DISARM ONLY!” Lockhart was crying as Snape rushed over

He stopped short when Pansy yakked up another newt that scurried away between his feet. The man gapped at the newt I’d caught and then at the very miserable Pansy. It took him checking my wand to believe that all I’d done was a shield charm. I stuck the poor little newt into my pocket as Snape sent one of the older Slytherins away with Pansy to the infirmary with a conjured bucket. 

I didn’t see where Snape got as Pansy was being let away because Millicent Bulstrode had apparently given up on magic to defeat Hermione. It took me punching her in the face to make her let go of a red faced Granger girl. Millicent just blinked before she let Hermione go and grinned at me. Then Slytherin girl slapped me on the shoulder and told me I was alright. 

“What was that?” Hermione demanded hoarsely, sucking in air.

I shrugged “cave girl respect stronger fist?” I offered as I rubbed at Hermione’s back, she giggled and shook her head.   
…  
It was with true horror that I watched Draco’s conjured King Cobra fly ten feet straight up in the air. I was standing between Hermione and Neville with that Hufflepuff kid, Justin something, and watched the damn thing come down right in front of us. Its hood spread out and fangs exposed. The snake looked to Justin when the kid flinched. It was about to strike when Harry stepped forward and called something out in a strange hissy way, it was like he was speaking a different language. The snake’s sat back with its hood closed until Snape incinerated it; nobody moved until Justine looked to Harry. 

“What you playing at?” he demanded angrily “hey!” he cried when I shoved him hard “what was that for?”

Temper flared “are you stupid?” I demanded “Harry just saved your damn life!” I cried “that was a King Cobra, hood open means it thinks you’re a threat. Hood closed means it couldn’t give two shites!” I yelled and turned to the Patail twins “am I wrong?” 

“No.” Padma shook her head 

“See!” I shoved Justin again “just because Harry talked to the thing doesn’t mean a damn thing! Before you go jumping to conclusions and thinking that only bad wizards talks to snakes, just remember that the woman who helped found Ilvermorny was a parselmouth and no one considers her evil!” I reminded the crowd before Snape clamped his hand over my mouth, my distraction had given my friends the chance to get away. 

“That’ll be enough, Miss Black,” he snapped and I glared up at him “I think this club is over. Got back to your dormitories, now!” Snape looked down at me then “I think it’s time I return you to your grandmother.”

I deflated then and Snape removed his hand, I looked up at him “first off, I was just getting started on that rant, had a whole Christianity angle too. Secondly, thank you for stopping me, sir. Stupid temper.” 

Snape just smirked “I would have hated to see Gryffindor loose more points, Black, Slytherin does need some competition for the House Cup.”

“The cup’s overrated.” I told him as he led me from the Great Hall, a hand on my shoulder.   
….  
Gran freaked out when Snape told her about Harry and the snake and Pansy’s newt problem. Though, I think it was more the snake that had her livid. I bid the Potion’s Master goodnight for Gran as she dragged me by the hand out of her office. She called the whole of the Gryffindor to the common room, woman made it expand so it’d fit everyone. That was so weird and felt…uncomfortable; like I waiting for the expansion spell to snap and crush us all when the room went back to normal size.   
I gave Parvati the newt I’d caught, the girl had showed up this year with a terrarium and salamander. She silently thanked me with a grin on her face and carefully put the little creature into her pocket to keep it warm until she could get it to her tank in the dorms. 

I was smiling when I turned back to Gran’s rant about how Gryffindor was sorely lacking. If she heard of one more attack on me or if any Gryffindor went after Harry for the ability to talk to snakes, a skill that wasn’t innately evil, she was going to give the whole house detention and take all our points away. It’d be the first time in four centuries that such a thing happened but she’d do it. 

The point must have been gotten because the upper years just nodded meekly. Gran nodded and then simply, left. The only person who was acting weird was Angie. She was wrapped up in Lockhart’s clock and checking the time. I’d noticed that she’d been moving about the common room early in the morning, taking potions at night made me get up early in the morning to use the bathroom. 

I sat down next to her on the couch “you know, you get him to sign that thing and you could literally be wearing a fortune.”  
Angie blinked owlishly at me for a second before nodding “yea but I’m never letting this go. I wish you’d give him a chance, Athena, instead of degrading him.”

“I wish he hadn’t of grabbed me at the bookshop too,” I shot back “he may not have meant it in a dangerous way but I had no idea who had me or what they intended. Everything I’d gone through during the summer was making my instincts scream attacker,” Angie looked startled by this “I’m not really sorry that I hurt his ego and I’m somewhat sorry for the bad start but he deserves everything he’s gotten since. That tosser seems to know how to quickly set my temper to boiling,” I sighed and shook my head “so, how have you been, Angie? I miss my big sister.”

Angie smiled sadly and slipped an arm around my shoulder “I’m sorry, little lion, I didn’t mean to shut you out for so long. I just…well, things got complicated and I never thought to look at it from your point of view,” she pulled me close and lowered her voice “I need a favor, Athena, like a really big favor.”

I looked up at and nodded “anything, what you need?” 

The older girl smiled at the seriousness in my tone “I’m thinking about quitting the Quidditch team,” she covered my mouth with her hand when I started to protest “listen, please, Athena. I’ve…I’ve been having trouble keeping up with Oliver’s practices and my homework. Lockhart is threatening to fail me and write my parents if I don’t bring my grade up.”

There was a part of my brain that told me she wasn’t telling me everything but I just asked “what do you want from me? I am taking dueling lessons from Gran and Dumbledore’s not a half bad teacher for DADA. Suppose I could help you with your homework.”

Angie smiled and shook her head “I want you to take my spot on the team until I can get my grade back up. I’m not sure how long that’ll be but will you?”

I just blinked at her “ugh…but…but…then I’d have to deal with Wood,” I frowned when she just started laughing “Angie!” I tugged on the front of her shirt “it’s not that funny, don’t hurt yourself.”

Her laughter died away “I’m sorry, little lion, but will you, please?”

“But I’m still on restrictions.” I pointed out 

Angie grinned “just until this part of term ends,” she poked at the end of my nose “stop making excuses, little sister, what do I have to do to get you to agree?”   
I sighed softly and leaned into her for a moment “can you get the others to lay off me?” I asked timidly “Angie, all those stinging hexes sent me to the infirmary on my birthday. Kelly Robbie put cake in my face. I know I’ve problem with my mouth and I’m…I am really trying to work on it but it’s hard when my temper seems to be just waiting there under the surface. Fred and George are trying, they’ve convinced Peeves, finally to help but…” I let out a shaky breath.

Angie tightened her arm around me “deal, and I’m sorry I didn’t do anything…its complicated but I knew you didn’t deserve that.”

I talked with Angie until Jubilee popped into the common room to shoo us off to bed. Angie wouldn’t let me go until she had my answer about the Quidditch team. It was with great reluctance that I agreed. The old girl grinned and swept me up in a bear hug before hurrying off to her dorm room.  
…  
Oliver Wood accosted me the next morning as I was trying to leave the common room. He wrapped me up in a hug before I kicked his shin but he was grinning when he told me that I was expected to be at practice once next term. Then he yelled at Harry they just because it was snowing didn’t mean they weren’t going to practice, they had brooms they could fly to the pitch. 

The snow that had started early that morning hadn’t let up, I’d been awake when the snow had started and found Angie throwing up in the bathroom. She thanked me for the glass of water I have her to wash out her mouth and told me that she’d been under a lot of stress lately because of classes. That made me worry about her and I told her that if ever needed anything to let me know. I’d seen her back to her dorm room before I returned to mine. 

By the time we were to head to Herbology, after a stirring lecture from Dumbledore about magical vs. physical violence and why shoving was impolite; he’d gotten another visit from Lockhart about dueling club. I was honestly surprised nothing was said about me punching a girl and a fun Charms lesson later, we found a note pegged to the great doors that Herbology had been canceled. That little snow storm had turned into a blizzard that had snowed in to the path to the greenhouses and Sprout was wrapping the mandrakes up to keep the evil little things warm; she only trusted herself for this.

Everyone went their own way for the most part. Hermione, Ron and Neville had gone back to the dorm room, Harry had gone to the library and I sat in one of the windows by the front entrance to watch the snow fall. To me, that was the most magical thing I’d seen so far in my life. 

There was something ethereal about snow coming down. Sometimes there was no noise to the falling flakes and sometimes the wind roared with a frosty anger that was outmatched by even a lightning storm. When there was no driving wind then the flakes just drifted down lazily to coat the world anew in a white blanket. 

Then there was the flakes themselves. Sometimes they were big and fat when the air was bit warmer and small and biting when the air was cold. There was never two flakes alike. Each one so different even if they formed in the same cloud. It was enough to make a person feel alone but not suffer the inherited loneliness that was supposed to come with it. 

My internal musings were broken when a frosted half-giant came in from the cold. He could have been Frosty the Snowman if he’d had a corncob pipe and a carrot for a nose; and if he hadn’t been holding a dead rooster in one hand. The big man shook his head at me when I hailed him from my perch and he helped me down. 

“How did ye get yerself up there?” he asked once my feet were back on the ground 

I shrugged “I climbed,” he rolled his eyes and started walking, heading…somewhere “what’s up the dead fowl?” I asked walking with him

“No clue,” he admitted “tis the second one I’ve since term began. I was going to have a talk with Dumbledore about it, maybe build a better fence.”

“Maybe,” I nodded “depends on how it was killed though, don’t know what you’re trying to keep out.” 

Hagrid was thoughtful about that and lifted the rooster up to look at it; I giggled at him because it was comical in all fairness. We were both so occupied by that that we never seen Harry come flying around the corner until he was bouncing off Harry. The big man wiped at his thawing eyelashes as I pulled Harry back to his feet. 

“You alright, Harry?” Hagrid asked once the boy was back on his feet, the big man paused then “what are you two doing out of class?” 

“Oh, it was cancelled,” Harry explained “I was just in the library, seems despite Athena’s rant last night about parselmouths and Susan’s declarations there in the library everyone still thinks I’m the Heir of Slytherin.”

“What’d Suzie do?” I asked curious as I stuffed my hands in my pockets, my glove wasn’t staving off the cold.

Harry flushed red and growled softly “I’d rather not say why but she defended me against a few of her fellow Hufflepuffs.”

Hagrid patted Harry on the shoulder, nearly put the boy onto the floor “don’t let em’ get to ya, Harry. Anyways, got things ta do and you two should get to class.”  
…  
Harry told me about what the Hufflepuffs had said as we were headed towards class and how Susan had glared the Hufflepuff down. Ernie Macmillian was going to a few less teeth when I found him next. We were turning down a dark corridor, an open window had acted as a wind tunnel and blew out the troches, when I swore violent vengeance for him. Harry just smiled and gave me a little shove. He’d only taken two more steps before catching his foot on something and going face first to the floor. 

“Harry, you alright?” I asked pulling him to his feet quickly. 

He didn’t say anything because the boy was staring at what had tripped him. There on the floor, frozen stiff as a board and a look of surprised horror on his face was Justin Finch-Fletchley. Next to him, floating about six inches off the floor was Sir Nicholas. The ghost was no long his ghostly self but dark and cloudy, his face wore the same expression as the frozen Hufflepuff.


	18. Key to a Purrfect Holiday…

“ATTACK! THERE’S BEEN AN ATTACK, BLACK AND POTTER STRIKE AGAIN!” Peeves, that fucking poltergeist screamed at the top of his lungs. He’d come whizzing down the hallway and found Harry and I looking dumbstruck at the petrified bodies of Nearly Headless Nick and Justin Finch-Fletchley “ATTACK! ATTACK! BLACK AND POTTER STRIKE AGAIN…oh, it’s been a while since I’ve shouted that,” he sniggered “Sirius Black and James Potter were the best of mates and the best at pranks till Black went the way of his name and sent Potter on his way to the grave! Oh, look at that I’ve gone and rhymed!”

“Shut it, you shirking sack of ectoplasm!” I hissed 

I tried pulling away Harry backwards, away from the bodies but the boy didn’t move. He just looked from the two on the floor to where Peeves was floating. The   
poltergeist just blew a raspberry at us and flew off down the hall screaming loudly. I tried to get Harry out of there but Peeve’s shouting had gathered crowd.   
Doors banged open and people came rushing out to see what was going on, all gaping at the two bodies. Even Gran was brought out with her class following. It was about then that Ernie Macmillian decided to get in Harry’s face. 

“Struck again, eh, Potter?” he hissed, a finger in Harry’s face…well until I’d grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm up behind his back.

“Why don’t you keep yer uninformed mouth shut, eh, ya twat?” I growled and shoved him away from us.

“Miss Black, that was uncalled for, ten points from Gryffindor,” Gran snapped pushing her way through the crowded hallway “and ten points from Hufflepuff, Mr. Macmillian, for unfounded accusations.”  
….  
Justin was taken to the infirmary by Professors Flitwick and Sinistra while Macmillian got the beautiful task of fanning Sir Nicholas along. If the situation hadn’t been so dire, Gran wouldn’t let Harry or I escape the hall, I would have laughed at the sight of the ghost being pushed along by a boy wafting a fan. However, even my slightly morbid sense of humor was currently failing me. 

With Ernie gone that left me and Harry alone with Gran in the freezing hallways. Gran frowned at us and beckoned us to follow her, she ignored our protests. This, as she said to us, was way out of her hands at this point. The Scottish woman led us to Dumbledore’s office where she left us alone. 

Harry was mystified by the room but I was not. This was probably Harry’s first time to the room and while he wondered off to look at things I took my regular seat. Normally I never had the time to inspect the portraits that were on the walls. They were all former heads of the schools, masters and mistresses, and there was one trying to get my attention. 

With a sigh, I got up and went closer. The name plate read Phineas Nigellus Black, I groaned at that information. He was grinning at me and it was starting to creep me out. The man was pale, dark narrow eyes and black hair. He wore a green robes with silver accents. 

“You are the Black Heir,” he said happily “I’ve been wanting to talk to you since you were first mentioned in this room but Dumbledore forbid me,” he sounded annoyed by that “you should know that that Lockhart twat don’t really like you, my little Heir.”

I snorted “I gathered that when he tried to drag me through the papers as a violent attacker, and when he kicked me out of his class, or when tried to have me expelled or when he tried to move in on Gran’s dueling lessons with me,” I shrugged “I won’t even get started on the lies he’s probably told about me or any of the other things he’s doing…”

Phineas scowled a little “you don’t have to be rude, child, so like Sirius. The only reason that man-child became lord is because of what’s dangling between his legs,” he scoffed “had he been born a girl the title would have been passed to Bellatrix upon Regulus’s death.”

I was curious “Regulus was Sirius’s older brother, correct?”

“Nope, he was younger,” Phineas corrected and smiled proudly “he joined the Dark Lord’s crusade,” the smiled faded “then did something dumb and got himself killed by the Dark Lord himself.”

“So, if he was younger…how would he have had the title?” I asked confused 

Phineas sighed heavily “because you uneducated urchin, Sirius ran away from home when he was sixteen. Stupid boy fell in that Potter twat and turn his back on our family. Orion disowned him, well…not legally but it was well know that he was persona non grata with the honorable Blacks.”

“Honorable?” I smirked and started laughing “there is nothing honorable about our family. No one in their right minds follows a madman pushing for blood purity and pure-blood superiority when they haven’t done their damn research and found out he’s a half-blood. I’m pretty sure that Riddle was never a wizarding name until Tommy boy came long.” 

“Ha!” one of the other portraits shouted in triumph, his last name was Dippet “there’s hope for the House of Black yet!” a few others cheered “you keep your head up, girl, and don’t listen to this dreary windbag,” he pointed to a fuming Phineas “all death to muggles and put muggle-borns in their rightful place, this one. He supported Grindeldwald, or did for that devil’s rise. Good thing his heir did not!”

“Oh, least I never had a student die on my watch, ya daft bint!” Phineas cried back “poor girl is still haunting the place too! She hated the place that was so mean to her so much she decided to stay and make you all miserable! Ha!”

“Piss off, you Drunken Bessie! Least my muggle-borns didn’t rebel and seal me out of my own office!” Dippet called back

The portraits quickly forgot about me, I hastily backed away as they started cheering on the two painted men. Things quickly spiraled out of control when Phineas left his frame and tackled Dippet to the floor in his frame. Between the punches, Phineas informed the other man that he was lucky paintings can’t use magic. I frowned at that…then how do they act as door guardians?

Harry had come over by this time, the boy was oblivious to the fight going on in the picture on the wall. His attention was solely on the sickly looking Fawkes on his perch; truth was that the bird had been half-plucked and his colors toned down. Fawkes was a phoenix and often sat on my desk during Dumbledore’s lectures, letting me pet him and scratch at his head. 

“You okay there, Fawkes?” I asked concerned 

The phoenix trilled in a mournful way before he burst into flames without warning. Harry shrieked and stumbled backwards as I just tilted my head at the pile of ashes under Fawkes’s perch. I’d never seen a phoenix on its Burning Day. Harry, not understand what was going on, grabbed my arm and pulled me backwards.

“Dumbledore is going to kill us!” Harry hissed “his bird just…whoosh!” he wiggled his fingers in mimic of flames 

I chuckled “the bird is a phoenix, Harry,” I explained “it does that. They are symbols of rebirth for a reason. They live, then they die in flames and they are reborn from the ashes. I’ve never seen one go through this.”

“Miss Black is correct,” Dumbledore called from the door to the side of use that came up from the gargoyle stairs “shame you had to meet him today, Harry. Normally, Fawkes is quite the looker and knows it too.”

Harry’s eyes went back to the ash pile and sighed with relief when he saw the ugly little baby bird head pop out of the ashes. Dumbledore cooed to the baby bird as he scooped up the little thing and gently placed him in a fluffy nest. The ashes degraded and quickly vanished on their own, no need for cleanup.

Dumbledore bid us take the seats across from him as he sat down. Before he spoke, he was about to, when the noise behind him caught his attention. The two headmasters were gearing up for round two but with a sigh and flick of his hand, Dumbledore sent Phineas back to his own frame and locked them in; a glare from Dumbledore silenced the two men.

“They do that often, sir?” I asked pointing at the sulking portraits 

Dumbledore sighed and nodded “they can be…high spirited,” he gathered himself then but never got the chance to speak. 

Hagrid was awesome as he burst into the office, the dead rooster swing in his hand “it weren’ them, Professor Dumbledore!” he cried “don’ care what Lockhart says!” I glowered at that “Athena and Harry didn’ attack anybody! I were with them, I was! Athena followed me up from the entrance hall, she’d been watching it snow from one of the high windows and Harry’d been in the library!”

“Hagrid,” Dumbledore smiled and held up a hand “I don’t think they attacked anyone.”

The big man grinned sheepishly and scurried out of the room. Five minutes later it was Harry and I who were scurrying out of the room. All the man had done was to ask Harry if there was anything to boy had wanted to tell him. That was it and then we were given permission to leave. Not the interrogation I was used to in that room.   
…  
I was quiet the next few days. There’d been a lot said the day Justine and Sir Nick had been attacked, I’d written it all down. What I could remember; that thing that Peeves had said about Sirius and Harry’s dad. I was going to find out what that meant. Also that thing that Phineas had said about a girl dying and coming back to haunt the castle because that sounded suspiciously familiar. Wish Myrtle would just tell me how she died, stubborn chit. 

There was a tidal wave of students booking seats on the train out of Hogsmeade. I found it curious that what scared them the most was the petrification of Sir Nick. All I found it was interesting; it was added to my list of growing questions.

What could petrify a ghost? What could make spiders act like in mass exodus? What was it that Harry was hearing when on one else could? What did that pesky poltergeist mean with his taunt? What the hell were the Headmasters fighting about and what was going on with Angie? 

That girl had been sick at least twice more since I’d found her in the bathroom. I knew this because I overheard Katie asking Alicia if the flu was going round. She didn’t want to catch what Angie had. It wasn’t only that, she’d been asking Jubilee for weird requests in food.

As I considered the girl family, Jubilee took care of her like family. Jubilee had muttered about the procurement of sweet pickles and having to go to a market in London to get them. I was really worried that stress was starting to make Angie go mental. This was Lockhart’s doing, I just knew it!  
…  
My questions were forgotten by that next Monday when everyone but a handful left. It also meant that I got to go outside! Fuck yes! Harry, Hermione and the Weasley’s (except Percy) had a massive snowball fight. Built forts and everything once Hermione had charmed my gloves against the wet and cold of the snow. Then we built snowmen until Gran dragged us in for dinner and because the temperature had dropped drastically. I was considerably happier now and soaked from the snow. 

Having the castle basically to ourselves was epic. There was no one complaining about music choices and if we sang along or if we squabbled over catalogues and the games we played taking up the whole of the common room…well, except Percy, again. That boy was a stick in the mud, I swear. His excuse for staying instead of going to Egypt to visit Bill with his parents was that the rest of us need supervision. HA! Liar! If that was true then he would have spent more time with us instead of disappearing all day.   
….  
That Christmas Eve, Hermione did something strange. All our gifts had arrived, wrapped and ready to be handed out but were being hoarded by Jubilee until morning but there was one thing that Hermione had gotten directly via Leonidas. It was two records, one was songs from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and one of Christmas songs. There was one song that Hermione pulled me out of bed for; I’d been finishing up one of Professor Flitwick’s books so I could return it. 

“Here,” she put my hands at her hips before she put her hands on my shoulders “there, now shift side to side.”

“Myne, what are we doing?” I asked trying not to blush, I both wanted this experience but was very embarrassed at the same time. 

“Christmas dancing,” Hermione informed me as Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas came “its tradition, now shush and shift side to side.”

I followed Hermione’s lead as the music played. It was fun once I reminded myself that Hermione was my best friend. No weirding out, Black! That’s what I told myself and then the music end. Hermione thanked me; telling me as we went back to what we’d been doing before that her parents and grandparents danced every year to that song. Since Hermione didn’t go home this year, she wanted to carry on the tradition herself. 

There was a pang in my chest then, might have been jealousy or disappointment because I didn’t know of any family traditions beyond the Christmas-ornament-wand-thingy. Thinking of that made me feel bad that I’d stayed at Hogwarts. I missed Nym and Uncle Ted…and Aunt Andy, even if the woman did see me as a dangerous creature that needed to be strictly controlled. 

I missed Kaylee too. She and I hadn’t had as much to do with each other this year and that did hurt but it wasn’t surprising. Like Fraser had said so often, Kaylee had been paid to teach me not love me like her own. I know that Kaylee cares but there’s still forced detachment there. Now I was really wishing that Hermione had given Forge back so I could cuddle into the lion.  
….  
Hermione woke me early the next morning, like crack of dawn early. She kept poking me after I told her to go away and that presents are not more important than checking my eyelids for holes. Of course, Myne couldn’t just give up that easily; could she? Nope, nope…the girl was too excited. She went and got Ginny from her dorm and the pair of them came up with the idea of pouring water on my head. 

I glared at Hermione and Ginny, where they’d take up a defensive position behind a purring Forge. They both shrieked when the window behind them opened (accidental magic on my part) and high winds covered them in snow. Hermione just glared at me as I grinned as I found my want in the top drawer of my bedside table and dried off my pillow. 

Ginny sat on Lavender’s bed, Tiberius lounging next to her and opened her gifts with us. Hermione had helped her pack them up to our dorm before they’d tried to wake me, then used their water attack. On the record player, the volume low, was Hermione’s Rudolph record that Ginny was falling in love with. 

My haul for the year was good, I just wish I had more enthusiasm for the season all around. Aunt Cissy sent two big boxes of the rare chocolate frogs, one was actually full of letters and things that she’d had that’d been Bellatrix’s and she wanted to pass along. At least, that’s what her card said. I didn’t open the box but put it in my trunk with the photo album she’d given me that I couldn’t bring myself to look at. 

There was also candies and biscuits from schoolmates and the elder Grangers, a sweater from Mrs. Weasley and plum cake, a snow globe of the Coliseum in Rome from Daphne, music records from Hermione and Uncle Ted, Myne feed my metal addiction and Uncle Ted the folk craving. Nym got me more Auror shirts that had had images printed on from, such as the Gryffindor lion in rampart (standing on its hind feet and roaring) for example. 

There was a lifetime subscription to Duelers Monthly from Aunt Andy (I wasn’t sure how to feel about that) with the first magazine. A fancy soap stone container of the minty lotion that Jubilee makes (it was grey round with a parade of elephants cared into the side with a crown as the knob) and a ghostly stress ball whose eyes popped out when squeezed. I got books from Harry and Neville. Got a little dueler diorama from Draco, had little figures on a dueling track platform that shot little sparks back and forth. Kaylee gave me fuzzy socks and Gran was a holdout, her card said she’d give mine to me in person. 

“Fuck! Really, St. Weasley?” I cried exasperatedly, thus making Ginny and Hermione jump, Hermione had been reading one her own new books.

“What did my brother do?” Ginny asked curiously and barely caught what I tossed her “Bertie Bott’s Every Flavored Beans? What’s wrong with these?”

Hermione giggled “Athena hates them with a passion,” she explained “hates getting the fact they look appealing but are mostly disgusting flavors. She’s ranted more than once about them.”

Both Ginny and I looked impressed, Ginny shook her head “well, my brother is a bit of a thick head, trade ya?” she was holding up a box of sugar quills  
I shook my head “nah, you do what you want with them. I’ll live, last year I gave them to Nym who gave them to Mad-Eye Moody.”

Ginny grin “I’ll just feed them to Ron’s rat, that’s always entertaining. Gave him those pop rocks…well, Fred and George did and I gave him water. Mum said it was mean,” the girl’s devilish smile said she thought differently.  
….  
Hermione liked the giant stuffed animal that I’d gotten her; even if it did trumpet when she squeezed it too hard. I got her an elephant and got Forge back. Ginny was happy with the loads of cat toys I’d gotten her; she already had a fattened Tiberius casing around a little mouse on a string that was dipped in catnip. 

Got dressed after that, pair of faded jeans, faded and well-worn trainers with newer laces with a navy colored Auror shirt that had a golden crown across the chest. Hermione and I helped Ginny take her presents back to her dorm where the ginger girl gave me one of her extra hair ties. I’d been contemplating cutting my own hair because it was starting to really annoy me; I should probably brush the shoulder length nuisance more often because pony tails were only a stopgap measure of the fast growing menace. 

Once my dark hair was up, Hermione was dragging me off to bug the boys. Lucky, lazy twats were still sleeping which the Granger girl took offense too, it was mid-morning after all. She woke them with a few good pokes and the threat of stolen blankets. I’d never been in the boys dorms before, only difference between ours and theirs was the smell. Boys are still very gross. 

While Hermione was droning on about the potion being ready I was looking at the different dividers. Harry’s was a golden snitch in motion with a blurred stadium in the background. The detail was exquisite and very life like. Looking over to Ron’s, I found it was decorated with chess pieces, a muscled up pawn and a raging stallion for the knight. 

I jumped when Hermione poked me “what?” I asked rubbing at my chest to catch my racing heart before it burst through my chest “geez, Myne, why’d ya do that? Tryin’ ta kill me or something?” 

She was giggling “no,” she shook her head and sat down next to me at the boys’ messy study table “I was trying to get your attention. We’re doing the potion today.”

“Oh, good,” I sighed “I finally get to say ‘I freaking told you so!’ as I’ve waited for this moment for month. Clung to it as my one beckon of hope amidst the agony of this term,” I sighed dramatically “I feared it wouldn’t arrive and…ow! Hermione!” she’d snatched Harry’s pillow and was smacking me with it “stop! Friend abuse! Friend abuse!”

“Oh, shush you!” Hermione commanded, hitting me once more before tossing a very amused Harry his pillow back “if you’re not careful Miss Black, I’ll do much worse than hit you will a pillow. I’ve read the same books that you have about dueling and know the same spells. I may not have cast them but I am a very quick learner.”

“Oh that good, because Neville and I keep failing at those spells,” I smirked “only one I’ve successfully got right is that bird one, except that it calls for like blue birds but I keep getting humming birds.” 

“Perhaps you should stick to the defensive spells then,” Harry suggested “thanks for the pillow,” the boy grinned as he held up his snitch pillow…Quidditch themed gifts never fail “did you like your book?” he asked “I thought you’d like it because it focus on the legend of Merlin.”

“I did, I did,” I nodded “I’m interested to see the comparison of muggle vs. magical when it comes to dear ole Merlin, as much as we take his name in vain. Merlin this and Merlin that…just freaking MERLIN!” I was laughing when Hermione gave me playful shove. 

“Why’d you get me these?” Ron asked hold up three small books on Quidditch, it was part of set that came inside a keeper’s helmet 

I shrugged “Fred and George seemed to think that you’d make a good keeper. Just giving you the material to get there.”

Ron narrowed his eyes at me and smirked playfully “you can’t bribe me, Black. I’ll play chaser if I want!”

“Right,” I nodded “right after I start liking those damn jelly beans. Second most important spot on the team is the keeper.”

Ron made a face and went back to his gifts. I dragged Hermione out of the room when she determined it was time for them to get dressed. Gran was in the common room with Ginny and raised an eyebrow at us when we came down the boys’ stairways. 

“Ugh…it was an Evil Bunny of Doom made us go up there,” I told her “should have seen it, Gran. It came shootin’ in from the porthole there, slicker than snot on a rail and bound for the boys’ dorms. Must have been attracted to the smell, sure is powerful enough,” I continued much to my audience “bound up the stairs like a hare on a mission, it did. Myne and I were worried for the boys’ health, we were. Poor Harry and Ronald were still sleeping and we saved them; it was a glorious battle. Used the Bronze Carrot of Destiny, not as powerful as the Holy Hand Grenade but it did the job,” I shrugged as if the whole the of feat had been no trouble “and that is why, my dear and most favorite Transfiguration Professor, why Myne and I have come to you victoriously from whence we did. You thank us for saving your students, I take payment in sour candies or orange chocolate frogs.”

Gran was trying to smile whilst Ginny and Hermione giggled freely “is that so?” the older witch asked quirking an eyebrow up.

I nodded “oh, yea, should have seen it,” I swear sometimes I sound Scottish in my accent, I think I pick them up and mix them into a jumble; that’s what constant travel gets you “it was epic. The bunny bared its teeth and roared and Myne kicked it so hard that it sailed back down the stairs. Little thing came back with red eyes,” I said convincingly Hermione was shaking her head at me “grew little black horns and longer claws. It wert scary.”

“Well, I’m glad that you were triumphant in your battle,” Gran’s composure held “because I’d hate to have to reprimand you for sneaking into the boys’ dorms.”

“Why’d I got willingly there?” I asked her, genuinely confused “boys are gross and they smell funny. I’ve made that argument before, ask Nym. If it weren’t for the   
bunny of doom, wouldn’t have been there. Geez, Gran, what you thinking?” 

The older woman just laughed and hugged me to her; I liked the way that Gran accept when our hug became a group hug when Hermione and then Ginny joined the embrace. When the hug was over, Gran gathered the rest of the house and we went down to the Great Hall as one, once I’d gotten my new sweaters and gloves because it was cold.   
…  
Someone had gone overboard on the Great Hall. Frosted Christmas trees, enchanted snow, holy and mistletoe hanging from the ceiling. I was very uneasy about the mistletoe, especially after Hermione leaned over and kissed my cheek. My cheeks were on fire as I just blinked at her, not quite sure what’d just happened. The Granger girl just pointed up at the ceiling and the plant I was under. 

Hermione just laughed when I pushed her further down the table so I wasn’t under it anymore. From the teacher’s table, Kaylee was smirking knowingly from her spot next to Gran, which caught the older woman’s eye; I’m Kaylee explained because Gran smiled and winked at me. There was a conspiracy there, I just knew; those two talking wasn’t good for me. 

I was saved through, when Dumbledore led us through his favorite carols. The lyrics floated midair for this sing-along in big, black script. Turns out that the Great Hall as awesome acoustics, or that everyone singing together drowned out how horrible we all were. Also…it was only now that I realized that I’d never truly realized that I didn’t actually know words to Jingle Bells. 

Made everyone in the hall jump at once which was awesome. No really, it was. Draco was mocking Mrs. Weasley’s handmade sweaters from his safe spot over at the Slytherin table. He’d ruin the fun of us sniggering at Percy because Fred had changed the name on his Perfect’s badge to ‘Pinhead’ and the elder boy wasn’t noticing. Finally I’d had enough. 

I slammed my hand down and yelled across the room “DRACO LUCIUS MALFOY,” the boy’s eyes went wide in surprise as I stood, freed myself from the bench seat and pointed at him “say one more word, little boy, and I’ll cover over there to make sure your eating properly,” I snapped, I was going shove that cake down his throat “Merlin knows how Aunt Cissy would be disappointed in me if I let her little boy waste away because it was too busy chatting instead of eating. Now, what’s it going to be, cousin?” 

Draco glowered and blowing a raspberry at me before he went back to the food on his plate. I snorted with satisfaction and sat back down. Well…I was going to when a heavy hand landed on my shoulder. Holy Merlin in a trashcan! The flashbacks and instinct kicked in. I brought up my right hand, locking the intruding hand in place as I lifted up my elbow in a tight grip as I twist and wrapped my left arm around the person’s arm and took my right hand to the bigger individual’s shoulder. This was the chosen move because I couldn’t move forward and to the side to get away.

As before, the last time I used this move, it forced the person touching to bend with his arm in my hold, trying to get away as I was straining his elbow and shoulder. A little more force and using the man’s own weight against him because I really, really didn’t like being touched without permission, and I dislocated the blonde man’s shoulder. I growled when I realized it was Lockhart and I shoved him away from me.

“WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!” I roared in frustration at the man lying shell shocked on the floor “STOP TOUCHING ME!” 

“Miss Black!” Dumbledore announced himself to me before the man gently and visibly reached for my arm “please step back,” I let the man pull me away, I was breathing hard and panting. I also felt cool and clammy “are you okay, Miss Black?”

“IS SHE OKAY?” Lockhart cried “that chit dislocated my bloody shoulder again!”

Snape stepped in and pulled the blonde man to his feet “maybe you shouldn’t have touched Miss Black,” Snape drawled, there was a small grin to the corners of his lips as he quickly relocated Lockhart’s shoulder, the blonde man yelped loudly “and it is very unprofessional to not only touch a student like that but to call them names as well. I believe you actually frightened Miss Black from the look of her.” 

I was trying to keep the contents of my stomach in place while Snape was chiding the DADA professor. My hands trembled as Dumbledore and Gran, she’d been out of her seat when Lockhart had touched my shoulder and hurrying towards us. The headmaster had me sit down at the mostly empty Hufflepuff table behind us. He must have realized I was on the verge of having a panic attack. 

Gran knelt in front of me “slow breaths, lass,” she made me look at her, before she moved my hand to her chest and her hand to mine “just breathe like I am, copy me,” she commanded and smiled when I did as told. 

“I don’t,” I started before drawing a breath in “like being surprised like that,” I said as I exhaled with Gran “stupid voodoo door breakers.”

Gran frowned “I know, lass, I know but you’re going to be fine,” she smiled as my breathing returned to normal and I yawned tiredly “you going to be fine to continue the feast or do you want head back to your dorm?”

“I think I’ll stay here, Gran, there’s eggnog. Not the good kind like you lot got up there at your table, the kind that Hagrid seems to be enjoying,” I smiled at her as Lockhart started to sputter behind her “but still yummy and kid friendly.” 

“Gran!” his eyes bugged out and his face turned red “why in the name of Merlin are you letting that girl disrespect Professor McGonagall that way?”

“How is it disrespect, Mr. Lockhart?” I asked genuinely confused for the second time that day “she’s my grandmother, the mother of my father.”   
Lockhart snorted contemptuously “well, that’s obviously a lie! Trying to grasp for glory huh?”

“Actually, Miss Black is not lying,” Snape drawled lowly in a bored fashion so only the small group of us heard him “perhaps if you’d read the papers a year ago you would have known that Miss Black was disinherited by the McGonagall Clan before becoming Heir to the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black,” he hissed “her aunt sits their seat in Wizengamot and her uncle is a high profile lawyer. I’d be careful, Lockhart, where you are only a noble less than a decade and only because of your recent wealth,” he smirked at that “whereas, her family has been nobles for centuries and aren’t known for treating their enemies very kindly. Phineas Nigellus Black, former headmaster whose portrait is in Dumbledore’s office can tell you all about that.” 

“I’d suggest you talk to him,” Gran growled standing to face the blonde man “in fact, let us have a meeting there to continue this conversation out of the eyes of the students. I’ve put up with you bashing my granddaughter long enough and I will not let you hurt her again because of your mistake. Why not be there in an hour?” there was no suggestion in Gran’s low, even and icy tone. 

“Don’t be late, Professor Lockhart,” Dumbledore prompted, standing from where he’d been sitting next to me “I would ever much like to hear why you thought you had the right to touch a student instead of calling her name,” the was no outward emotion to the man’s voice “she was not even threatening Mr. Malfoy except with proper eating habits. However, we can discuss this later. Good day, Professor Lockhart,” the DADA professor left in a huff and Dumbledore looked back towards me “are you alright, Athena?”

I nodded “I really hate it when he does that, I mean, it was just the once in Diagon Alley but it really…I don’t like being surprised or frightened like that. It always causes a panic attack. I didn’t have one the last time because I think the surprise of being table to talk again was…well, surprising enough to stave it off,” I frowned up at him, dread in me “I’m not in trouble am I because I really like being able to outside and go to the library, I like having my evenings to myself again.” 

Dumbledore smiled “no, you are not in trouble, Athena. You were protecting yourself and you did not actually threaten Mr. Malfoy. The yelling across the hall can be over looked this time.” 

“Thank you, Professor Dumbledore,” I nodded, I actually felt like melting into a puddle on the floor in relief.  
….  
Harry, Ron, Hermione and I didn’t stay to much longer after that. First, there were the stares and second, Hermione can be an impatient person who’s not the type to go for second and thirds at Christmas pudding and kid friendly eggnog. The Granger girl rushed us out of Great Hall while I was trying to get another helping of the pudding, Hermione stole the serving spoon and commanded us out. In the hall, she gave Ron and Harry to little chocolate cakes that she’d spiked with Sleeping Draught; primed and ready for their intended victims. I just stared at her in confusion.

“When you do that?” I demanded “you’ve been with us the whole time!” 

Hermione just shrugged at me “you are a very heavy sleeper, Athena,” she looked back to the boys while I just sputtered at her “alright, now once Goyle and Crabbe are out, you get a bit of their hair and then shove them into the closet.”

“Whut?” Ron demanded “a bit of whut?”

Hermione scowled at him “a bit of hair, you need something of the person you’re changing into, Ronald,” she pulled a little tub out of her pocket “see, I already got mine. Millicent Bulstrode, got it while that cavewoman had me in a headlock at the Dueling club. She’s gone home but I can always talk around that.”

“You seem so sure of the Myne, what if they don’t believe….ow!” I was hopping around Hermione had kicked my shin, it wasn’t a powerful kick but still “what’s that for?” 

“Stop being a naysayer, you ham,” she huffed before grabbing me by the front of my sweater and started pulling me along “come along, Hammy, we’ve still got work to do while the boys do what they’ve been told.”


	19. Maybe This Holiday isn’t so Purrfect After All…

Harry and Ron sure took their time about getting what Hermione had given them their marching orders for. I sat on the sink a little ways down from where Hermione…well, I had set up the cauldron with the now finished, nasty smelling potion. Swish, flick and proper enunciation…it is very helpful, this spell. 

I watched Hermione bustling around the bathroom. She refused to tell me where she’d gotten three sets of Slytherin robes and I have inkling that I’d be very upset if I were to ever find out. Hermione rolled her eyes at me when I didn’t hop down to get the door she’d locked; she had to stomp her way over and do it. I’d already told them I wasn’t going to help…more than move a very hot cauldron. 

Hermione sent the boys to change clothes as she dished out three cups of the greyish potion. She smacked at me for laughing when the boys came out in clothes three times their right size. Harry stuck his tongue out at me as he dropped his poached hairs into his cup. I frowned a bit when Hermione’s turned orange…that…that didn’t seem right but Hermione did know more about the potion than I did. 

It was fascinating to watch as Ron and Harry’s skin started to bubble and shift. Hermione had raced to one of the stalls the moment she’d taken her first swallow so I didn’t get to watch her transform like I did the boys. Not the grossest thing I’ve ever seen but I did the urge to poke them with a stick. 

When it was all said and done, where Harry and Ron had been was now Crabbe and Goyle. Except that Goyle was wearing Harry’s glasses. The boy (taller now) jumped a bit when I reached up and took them off him. He squinted and frowned. 

“It didn’t make that much of a difference,” Goyle frowned “can I have them back?”

I shook my head “no, Goyle, my boy, you are literally going to have to go in blind,” Crabbe and I sniggered “now, I’m going to put this up here,” I set the glasses up on top of the lip the decorative sink, just out of sight “don’t forget they’re there, Potter…err, I mean Goyle.”

“Oi! Mione,” Crabbe called down the bathroom “what’s taking so long?” 

A panicked voice came back “ugh…you lot go without me, I’m not feeling well. Don’t think that polyjucie sat right with me.”

The boys looked to me “go, I’ll make sure she’s okay,” I sighed and hopped off the sink as they left. I made my way down to the stall she was in and knocked “hey, Myne,” I called softly “what’s wrong?” 

“Nothing!” Hermione cried, she sounded weepy “go away, Hammy!”

I smirked “is that my new nickname, love?” I asked with a grin 

“Please, go away!?” the girl pleaded 

Shaking my head, I hopped up on the desk next to me and sat down “nope, can’t do. Remember what happened last time you refused to come out of a bathroom stall when something was wrong?”

“DO NOT START SINGING!” Hermione cried desperately 

I shrugged “I’m sorry, love, but that’s my Myne Lure. What do we want first,” I looked up at Myrtle who was watching with obvious interest “whatcha think, my beautiful Ravenclaw?” I asked her and she giggled happily “Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mack or some country music, could go Rock or blues? Hmm? Whatcha feelin’, lovey?” 

“Ooh…what about that one I heard from the Hufflepuff common room,” Myrtle said excitedly “someone named ACDC?”

I grinned “oh, Myrtle likes the Rock and Roll, right!” I looked back Hermione’s stall door “last chance to come out, Myne…” there was no answer back “right! Then…here we go…”  
….  
Myrtle and I were having fun. I’d teach her the lyrics and then we’d try it together. Lasted through George Jones, Joni Mitchell, Aretha Franklin, Twisted Sisters. Finally got Hermione to come out when I started singing Fly Me to the Moon, the girl cried for me not to butcher Frank!

“Oh, Hermione,” I frowned when she stepped into the light, I hopped down off the desk “you are a kitty, what happened?”

She sniffled, the girl was covered in orange fur. Her eyes were yellow cat’s eyes, there were ears on the top of her head and the girl had a tail. Even her hands were catlike with claws. Hermione melted into me when I hugged her and she started weeping on my shoulder. 

“Millicent has a cat,” she sobbed out “this potion wasn’t meant for this! I’m a cat!”

I rubbed at her back “it’ll be alright, Myne. We just need to get you to Madam Pompfrey.”

“How are we going to explain this?” she demanded with a hiss leaning back to point at her face, even her teeth were kitty like. 

I patted her cheek “you let me worry about that Myne, okay,” I said before I started undoing her tie “what I can’t explain though, is why a Gryffindor kitty is wearing Slytherin silver.”  
….  
Minus the robes, sweater and tie, Hermione looked like she was her regular school uniform. I held her hand and led the way once I’d gotten Myrtle to promise to tell the boys where we’d gone. There were a few close class but I got Hermione to the infirmary without anyone see her; not even Peeves. 

“What happened?!” Madam Pompfrey just looked flabbergasted at Granger Kitty 

Hermione clung to my arm and hid her face in my shoulder as I chuckled nervously “well, you see, Madam Pompfrey, funny story really…but Hermione and I were going through what I’d gotten for Christmas and happened to find a box that held those little pies,” I explained quickly “and I thought they might have been from my   
cousin or maybe my aunt. Hermione likes them and so I shared. I think Hermione’s might have been polyjuiced because…ya know,” I pointed to her “but she got sick and I chucked the others away, she’d eaten hers first.” 

Madam Pompfrey huffed angrily as she pulled Hermione, and by extension me, to one of the nearby bed “someone’s idea of a harmless prank.” 

Gran arrived a short time later with Harry and Ron following; the boys had changed back and Harry had his glasses. The Transfiguration Mistress just shook her head at Hermione and me, I was sitting next to her on the bed letting Hermione cry on my shoulder. I told my story again for the three new arrivals and was completely surprised that Gran bought it because she always knows when I’m lying. 

As this was a potion mishap, Professor Snape was brought into the mix. He just rolled his eyes and took a few hair samples to determine what dosage she’d eaten. Then they could determine how to reverse; what was known was that Hermione was going to be in the infirmary for a while.   
….  
They gave Hermione a Sleeping Draught so she’d let go of me and rest at the same time. Gran went with me to our dorm to get Hermione a few things that would make her more comfortable. We were just inside the dorm room when Gran rounded on me, I actually yelped and flinched at the sudden move. 

She grabbed me by the arms “what actually happened to Miss Granger?” she demanded to know calmly. 

“W-what?” I stuttered 

Gran locked her eyes with mine “don’t lie to me, Athena, because you can’t lie to me, lass, I will know if you do!”

I shut my eyes tight and blurted because Gran was really scary at the moment “Hermione brewed a polyjuice potion in Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom so that she, Harry and Ron could sneak into Slytherin and interrogate Draco as the Heir of Slytherin. Told them it was a bad idea.”

Gran didn’t move or say anything for a long while so I peeked an eye open. The woman was utterly stunned “Miss Granger brewed a polyjuice potion in a girls’ lavatory?!” 

“Yea,” I nodded “I told they were wasting their time. Draco not the heir but they wouldn’t believe me. Harry’s…well, they were idiots. Please don’t kill me.” 

“Athena,” Gran rolled her eyes at me as she stood up, letting me go “I’m not going to kill you or your friends, however much I’d like to. Do I want to know where she got the ingredients?”

I shook my head “plausible deniability, Gran, you don’t want to know. Am…are we in trouble? Because I really did try to talk them out of…” I gulped and tapered off my words at the look on her face 

The look on Gran’s face could have killed “no, I’m not going to get you in trouble,” she crossed her arms over her chest “though I am very disappointed in you, Athena. Do you know how dangerous an improperly brewed polyjuice potion is?” she demanded evenly. I felt like a fish out of water the way my mouth was open and closing with no sound coming out “Miss Granger’s condition could be irrevocable.”

I hung my head and sat down on the floor by my bed. Gran sat down next to me and slipped an arm over my shoulder. She made soothing sounds as I wiped at the tears on my cheeks. It almost made me painfully sick to my stomach to think that Hermione would always be stuck like she was. 

“I don’t think it is,” Gran told me before she kissed my temple “Hermione is a very smart young girl, just like her best friend. I have faith in Professor Snape and Madam Pompfrey.”

Gran left with Gred, Hermione’s elephant, and a small bag of sleeping clothes and undergarments for her. I also packed her toothbrush for her, even if Hermione couldn’t use it right now she’d still want it. The dorm was very lonely and quiet without Hermione or the other girls. I was positive that I didn’t like it at all and I fell asleep with the radio on.  
….  
Harry, Ron and I trekked to the infirmary the next morning after breakfast. Hermione was awake and in better spirits than she had been the night before; Snape had found a counter to her condition. She was leaning back against the elephant and happy for the books I brought her to keep her entertained when we weren’t there for her. I sat at the end of the bed while the boys found chairs; once Madam Pompfrey had gone back to her office Harry and Ron told us what happened the night before. 

“I told you,” I growled when they got to the part were Draco wasn’t the heir “I fucking told you and you lot didn’t believe me,” I glared at them, least all three looked properly remorseful “I know Draco’s family tree, I had to study it because it’s mine as well…ya know up until the Malfoy bit; which by the way, the Malfoys are from France. Near the southern part of the German border. Came over here during the 1600’s.”

Ron huffed “he did tell us that it’d been fifty years since the last time the chamber had opened, girl got killed.”

“Oh, great divines,” I frowned, it felt like there was a lead weight in my stomach “she died under Dippet’s headmastership, that’s what Phineas was yelling at Dippet about.”

“Whut?” all three of them looked very confused so I quickly gave them the rundown of my conversation with my ancestor “oh,” Ron nodded “but what does that have to do with now.”

Hermione spoke thoughtfully “she could always know something, she could tell us.”

“No, she won’t,” Harry scoffed “if she did then I bet she’d have said so. I mean, after Sir Nick, all the ghosts know what’s going on. I mean, how often have we talked about it?” 

“So what’s that mean, then?” Ron asked “if the creature’s been let out before?”

I shrugged “means we start looking through creature books for something at petrifies things and makes spiders take up weird behaviors.”

“You could write Fraser,” Ron suggested, both Hermione and Harry winched at that “you know, he’s a monster hunter.”

“I would not write him unless the world was ending,” I snapped dangerously at Ron “if I never see that blistered slag jumper again it’d be to fucking soon.” 

“Oi, ya don’t have to take my head off,” the red headed boy protested holding his hands up “I was just making a suggestion.”

I snarled darkly “well, don’t ever make one about that puffed up bastard again, please and thank you, St. Weasley.”  
….  
I would have spent the next day with Hermione like I’d planned. I was going to bring candies, books and the radio. However, I was waylaid in this when Gran woke me the next morning. She bid me to dress and then laughed when I demanded to know why I was being woken so early. 

“It’s nearly noon, lass,” she chuckled “come along.” 

This is what I get for not being able to sleep last night. I had gone to bed very late last night, stupid empty dorm room. Gran set out clothes for me; nicest pair of jeans I owned, a red long sleeved Auror shirt and a vest. We were both muttering about my hair was Gran was helping comb it; woman agreed to give me a haircut.   
Ron and Harry were down stairs, wide away and dressed in their best normal clothes. They both shot me a look when I yawned as I came down the stairs. The boys were either curious as to what was going on or why I was yawning, the second one was easier to answer because I had no clue as to what Gran was doing. 

Gran led us to one of the unused class rooms on the third floor, she must not have noticed the three of us shift uncomfortable because we were near Fluffy’s old room; stupid three-headed monstrosities ruining a perfectly good corridor. Anyways…back to the present, the door Gran led us too was decorated with little living Christmas trees as ornaments hanging from very glittery red and gold tinsel. 

The older witch was grinning as we entered into a room like looked like the Great Hall threw up on it. There was holy intertwined with fluffy, shiny tinsel with all different colored fairy lights hanging from the ceiling. Ornaments decorated the room and there was a long table set with a second, smaller Christmas feast than compared to the one yesterday. There was even Christmas music playing lowly from the corner of the room. 

“LITTLE COUISN!” was screamed before I was ambushed by Nym, it was my only warning and it did me no good as I was being spun about “missed you!” 

“No, I think you got me, Nym,” I gasped through her crushing hug, Harry and Ron fled to the safety of Uncle Ted across the room.

The older girl sat me down and laughed “that’s what you get for not coming home!”

I just shrugged, grinning at her “but if I had then you wouldn’t have greeted me like this, now would’ve you?” I asked “besides, Hermione and the rest besides Neville stayed and I finally got to go outside.”

Nym smirked knowingly “yea, I see…so if Miss Granger was to jump off a bridge would you follow?”

I replied without thought “probably, I’m not sure if Myne can swim.”

The Auror in-training just rolled her eyes and dragged me over to the table. There I met Damien and Samuel Holmes; they were Bridget and Danny’s first set of twins. The boys could have been my siblings with their black hair, strong Scottish features, tallish like myself (honestly I wouldn’t be surprised if I get as tall as Gran; the growing has started) but they had their father’s blue eyes. For me it was easy to tell the boys apart once we were introduced, Samuel had a scar on his chin. 

There wasn’t a good vibe about the boys, they kept doing little glares at me, they were cold and standoffish and when they shook my hand they both tried to crush it in their grips. Too bad for them that they weren’t the ones doing grip strength therapy, working both hands so it was an even workout. Not that was trying to be stronger because I really wasn’t, I just had been getting more practice at squeezing things. 

Malcom and Izzy noticed the little standoff their bothers and I had going but said nothing. Harry and Ron was willing to play their little games of hurtful hand, my boys beat them and once that was over, introductions continued for the two other Gryffindors. Gran had gathered Aunt Andy, Uncle Ted, Nym, Bridget and her husband Daniel along with twin set one and twin set two. The woman looked away too pleased with herself and I had the feeling this was going to end badly. 

It would seem that Gran, Bridget and Uncle Ted had just be chalked full of fun ideas for today. One of them was doing fancy little scrolls, elaborately decorated with scroll work in green and red ink, with the words done in extravagant calligraphy. They were different, low level spells used in offensive dueling from different parts of the world. Every scroll included wand instructions and what spells were.

Each scroll, which had been wrapped up and held with bow tied ribbon, came in a wrapped shoebox that held filled with candies, rare chocolate frogs (at this point I wasn’t thinking they were rare anymore just more expensive), little trinkets like wizarding (and normal ones) chess sets of varying designs and comic books. Malcom and Izzy got special action figures instead of spells and there was a box for Hermione, Neville, Luna and Annie and the other Weasleys. 

My spell was in Turkish, kabus bakmak which translated to as literal as could be to nightmare look. It made the caster appear to be whatever the opponent was terrified of; it was a boggart like spell. As the description of the spell said; it was a very ancient spell that dated back to evolution of the Turkish language. It was one of three spells, this was the lowest level. 

Harry got a Norwegian spell, vann spyd which was a water spell. It created a water spear that was more specific than an aguamenti spell’s general drenching. When used in conjunction with an ice spell it was lethal. However, Gran had not given him an ice spell. 

The spell that Ron got was difficult for him to pronounce. It was Arabic and was used to create sand warriors, almaharib alrramal. They came complete with scimitars that would only knock people about. The warriors were creepy and really wicked at the same time. Ron spent a long time with Bridget to get the pronunciation right.   
…  
It was nearing three in the afternoon when the party ended. Not because Gran or one of the adults called an end to the festivities dancing, eggnog, stories, Christmas pudding and those popper things. No, it was when I punched Samuel in the face as hard as I could. Ron, Harry and I been in the corner practicing their spells as they were too scared to let me try mine. Damien and Samuel had sauntered over and picked a fight. 

“So, you’re the little shit who disgraced our family in the papers,” Damien sneered “just had to make a scene with Lockhart.”

I frowned and tilted my head to the side “I don’t know what you’re on about but I don’t think it’s a wise idea to say things like that. Rude too.”

“Are you as hard of hearing as you are ugly?” Samuel sneered 

I smirked “the fact that you’re trying to determine if I’m good looking or not is rather creepy as you’re my cousin. Also, we look alike so that remark’s on you as well, lad.” 

Harry and Ron chuckled as Ron shook his head “trust me, boys, ya don’t want to find trouble with this one. So play nice or well…it won’t end well for you blokes. Learn from us who’s learned the hard way.” 

“Besides,” Harry pitched in “Professor McGonagall’s right there and she highly disapproves of this sort of thing. Best just let it go and play nice. We can do that, we’ve been known for it a time or two.”

Samuel smirked “maybe I’ll get a better reaction if I find that little mudblood you’re hiding some…”

I always forget that I have a wand, probably a good thing in some cases. Like now, as Samuel’s head whipped to the side; his lip split and his mouth bloodied. Damien cried out in pain as his hand bounced off of Harry’s shield charm causing him to stumble backwards. Samuel had gotten up off the floor and had gone for his wand. Well, he tried but our wands were jerk out of all our hands and landed at Gran’s feet. 

The woman looked livid “what do ya think yer doin’?” she damned, her eyes flashing dangerously 

“She started it!” Samuel cried innocently pointing at me while wiping blood off his chin 

“Oh, I highly doubt that, my boy,” Gran answered evenly “now try that again, and do not lie to me.”

I clenched my fists and took a long shuddering breath as Harry answered “he called Hermione a mudblood, Professor.”

“SAUMEL LOGAN HOLMES!” Bridget cried her face turning red with anger “how dare you use that word! What were you thinking?”

“That he’s an ass?” Malcom supplied easily between bites of pudding “they did say they was going to put Athena in her place,” the boy smirked then and asked his older brothers “how’d that work out for ya? Want to try again?”

“What are you talking about, Malcom?” his father asked 

Izzy shrugged “seems the boys been getting teased about Athena’s picture in the paper with Professor Lockhart. Ella said they were trying to brag about it and it backfired.”

“Why are you talking to my girlfriend?” Damien demanded sounding furious but he was nowhere as livid as I felt. 

Silently, I went over and retrieved my wand and returned it to its holster with a shaking hand. My body was tense and trembling at the same time, all I wanted was to punch Samuel again until he was choking on his words. Rage was making my blood run hot and I could feel my heart beating furiously in my chest. Each step I took away from the boys was with all the self-control and determination that I had. I picked up mine and Hermione’s box and then I left with Samuel’s words following me out the door, though my step did hesitate.

“Where’s she going? If we’re in trouble than so is she!” the boy cried “she hit me!” 

“Don’t push your luck, mate,” Ron said softly “she’s scary when she’s properly cross. She made a teacher explode last…” I was too far away to hear the rest of his words.   
….  
I was significantly calmer by the time I reached the infirmary and chilled; the castle is cold. My hands were stuffed down in my pants to keep them warm, I’m going to have to have a talk with Gran about her clothing choices. Woman is always wearing robes, probably enchanted so she’s always comfortable. 

Hermione raised an eyebrow at me as I ducked through her curtains and stole one of her extra sweaters that Jubilee had gathered for her. I put it on before handing her the box with her name on it and simply said “I punched my cousin, who’s a fucking bint.”

“What did Draco do?” Hermione asked curiously, looking up from the box.

I smirked “oh, I don’t think tha’ boy-o is honestly dumb enough to call ya a mudblood in my presence again,” I threw myself into the chair beside her bed “no, I’m meaning Bridget’s two elder spawn. Gran decided ta have a party and they waltzed in thinking they’re going ta put me in my place for tha’ scene at Flourish and Blotts,” I growled softly “I really wish people’d get over tha’! No one cares tha’ the man just grabbed me! Oh, no, can’t have some half-mad cow runnin’ about assaultin’ our celebrities, nah, don’ care wha’ she’s been through or if there’s a backstory. Fuck that shite! Let’s roast the bitch! Gather the pitchforks and light the fucking torches!” 

Hermione just blinked at me “wow, I’ve never heard you pick up McGonagall’s accent before.”

“Aren’t ye listening ta me, lass?” I demanded not caring how I sounded “did ya hear what I said?” I leaned forward in my chair “the numphty called ya a bad name, Myne, what short of foolishness is tha’? Did he have a death wish or sumthen’?”

Hermione giggled at me, her little cat ears quivering with mirth “you sound like a Scot, Hammy.”

“I am a Scot!” I cried exasperated, throwing up my hands “ya’ve been ta the house I was born in and probably stayed in the same room as well.”  
Hermione looked down at the opened box and tossed me a caramel filled, banana flavored Chocolate Frog “here, Hammy, eat this before you start donning a kilt and calling for freedom.” 

“Watch it, lassie,” I said pointedly and smirked when she giggled again “ach! I canna take yers,” I cried, purposely doing the accent now “I’ve my own, there in ma box, right there. Dunna ya see it, lass? Besides, I’d feel rightly terrible fer taking from a young, pretty kitty cat girl such as yerself,” I tossed the unopened frog back, it bounced off Hermione’s stomach because the girl was too busy laughing and it was making me smile “dunna ya hurt yerself there, Granger girl.” 

Hermione wiped at the wetness in the fur on her cheeks “oh, dear, that was good, Hammy. Feel better?” 

“Meh…” I shrugged “I don’t feel like making Samuel choke on his own teeth so that’s a plus and I’m talking normal again, so…yea, guess I’m alright,” I sighed and rubbed at my cheeks “I really hate the word, such a stupid word that shouldn’t exist. There is no difference between you and me in terms of magic, I could have as easily been born a squib and never known the difference. You are the brightest of us, Hermione, and you’ve earned every drop of magic in you and I suspect you’ll earn it a thousand times more before we graduate this place,” I ranted and Hermione just smiled at me “there are some whose families go back generations in the magical world who shouldn’t even be allow to look at a wand much less own one.” 

“You can’t punch out everyone who calls me that, Hammy.” Hermione said softly fiddling with the frog box 

I shrugged “meh…maybe not but it won’t stop me from trying. Perhaps after a few broken teeth, jaws or my hand, people will learn not to do that,” I told her honestly “you are my best friend, Hermione. Neville a close second but you come in first.”


	20. New Term, New Problems…

My time visiting with Hermione in the infirmary got drastically shortened once everyone had returned and term started up again; between classes and Wood’s insanity he called practice. That boy is clearly insane and I don’t know why nobody had helped him. His shin was going to permanently bruised by that Angie got her grades caught up; which I hoped was soon. 

Not only for my sake but hers because she was still getting sick and having weird cravings. Her magic was starting to act out as well. She’d sworn me to secrecy when I caught her in Myrtle’s bathroom with silver colored fur with black spots growing out of her forearms; reminded me of a lynx coloring or something. Angie told me that her magic had been wonky since New Year’s because of a family potion gone wrong. She promised that it’d wear off soon. 

“Fine,” I’d told her “but if it doesn’t, I swear I’ll go to McGonagall with or without your permission because I don’t want my big sister going through whatever the hell you’re going through without help.” 

The girl got all weepy then and about strangled me with her hug. Then she cried on my shoulder for a solid five minutes before wandering off towards the kitchens to find bacon. I had to wonder just what the hell was in that potion for it to go so damn weird. All I could do at the moment was to shake my head at her.  
…  
It was with the help of Ron and Harry that we kept up with Hermione’s demand for her homework. In just the few short weeks short since Christmas, which we’d all taken a vow of silence for once Neville was informed, Hermione had lost the claws and her tail. The hair on her face was starting to recede with her eyes returning to normal. She still wouldn’t let me see if she had any kitty cat tendencies like playing with yarn, she did like catnip that I’d spilled on my sweater while helping Ginny with something for Tiberius for which I was beat with a pillow for after being mauled; Hermione claimed that I’d done that purpose and she kept the sweater. 

Ron was muttering when we brought Hermione her homework a week after the sweater incident (another thing we’d been sworn to secrecy about) “ya know if I had grown kitty cat parts and a tail, I’d so just take a break from homework,” he’d huffed putting the books Hermione needed on the bedside table next to her.

“You’d also be so far behind that you’d be repeating second year when the rest of us are graduating too,” I pointed out handing Hermione the list I’d made of her assignments “people be asking, isn’t that second year a bit tall and we’d go nah, everyone else is just a bit short.”

Ron sneered at me as Hermione, Neville and Harry chuckled “you think you’re soo funny!” 

“Oh, I know I am,” I grinned “does ya some good, Ronald, keeps us humble.”

“Speaking of humble,” Neville grinned and pulled something out from under Hermione’s pillow “To Miss Granger, wishing you a seedy recovery,” he jumped back when Hermione slapped at him trying to get the card in his hand back “from your concerned teacher, Professor Gilderglow Lock-fart, Order of Snappy Dressers, Third Class, Honorary Member of the League of Shiny White Teeth and five-time winner of Witch Weekly’s I Sniffed My Own Farts Contest.”

Harry, Ron and I were rolling on the floor while Hermione glared death at the blond boy. She managed to snag the card back and huffed as she smoothed it out and put it back under her pillow. I was trying to climb up the end of the bed to get off the floor when Madam Pompfrey came around to see what the noise was and shoo us away at Hermione’s insistence.   
….  
I parted ways with the boys and headed for Gran’s office. Today was one day were Oliver’s lunacy had been reined in by a detention from Snape (I swear that the Weasley twins teamed up with the Holmes twins to accomplish it but I haven’t the proof to prove it) so my evening was free. I wanted to talk to Gran about Angie’s idea of ‘love boxes’ or whatever the girl was calling them now. She’d squealed when she’d seen the box from Christmas in my dorm room, Angie had been having a candy craving and I had loads. 

Gran was grading papers when she called for me to enter. The woman smiled at me and waved me in, setting aside her quill “what brings you here, lass?”

I sat down and sighed heavily “Angie wants to do something nice for all the girls in Hogwarts for Valentine’s Day,” I made a face of disgust “and the loopy girl has wrangled me into it almost forcefully, some days I’d swear she’d developed a split personality,” I shook my head and looked at the curious professor “she seen that box you gave me for Christmas and loved it and wants to use that for the ‘nice thing’,” I made air quotes “she’s not going to be happy if I don’t accomplish it.” 

Gran chuckled and bobbed her head side to side “I think I can help, lass. Jubilee!” Gran called and my little elf appeared with a resounding ‘pop’.

“You rang?” she asked in a low, drawn out voice and I laughed so hard that my sides hurt, not that it took much after Neville’s deal.

Gran just shook her head at the pair of us because Jubilee was grinning proudly “there are some days that I’m not sure who the worst influence is in the pair of you.”  
Jubilee and I pointed at each other at the same time and cried “her!” 

“I’m almost sorry I said something,” Gran said but I could see the corners of her lips twitching “anyways, Jubilee, Athena has a request.”

“Oh, well?” Jubilee poked at my side making me giggle “what is my human’s request?” 

I told her what Angie was suggesting and Jubilee just grinned before popping off without a word. Sighing heavily I shook my head at the spot where the elf had been. Just sat in silence for a while before Gran asked. 

“So, how’ve you been, lass? We really haven’t talked since Christmas.”

I shrugged “alright, I guess. People have stopped trying to hex me for the most part. I’m sure whether it was the break of the holiday or the fact that Kenneth Towler has little duckling following him around,” I smirked at that and Gran just scowled deeply “be better if Hermione wasn’t in the infirmary but…” I shrugged again “there are worse things to have happened in the world. Is…is Bridget and Danny upset with me?” I asked tentatively “Izzy and Mal haven’t said and I’m…well, are they?”

Gran sighed “no, they’re not. They’re not happy that you punched Sammy but they understand why and he did deserve it,” she smirked then, shaking her head as she leaned back in her chair “that’s what Danny said anyways and Bridget thinks the boys got off easy. She also wants Healer Ball to see you again.”

I groaned “there’s nothing wrong with my head!” I said in whimpering protest. 

“Bridget, and others…are afraid that the ‘anger-ball’ might be have residue effects on you,” Gran explained “could be why your temper is so hard to control.”  
Sighed, I glared at the stone floor “but that fluffy Warehouse bloke said it was all gone.”

“The energy maybe, but we both know that just because something is gone doesn’t mean that it isn’t still effecting you,” Gran pointed out “besides, what could it hurt?” I quirked an eyebrow at her “oh, put that brow away child,” Gran huffed “there are no more cures in your head, we made sure of that.”

“My control of my temper is getting better, Sammy-boy just shouldn’t have called Hermione a mudblood and everything would have been fine,” I shrugged “some things crack, Gran, some things break but given enough glue they’ll be alright again, don’t need a healer for that.”

Gran narrowed her eyes at me “sometimes I can’t tell if you’re spouting wisdom or nonsense, lass,” she sighed heavily “fine, I’ll compromise with you, lass. You keep your temper and I won’t have Edward make the call to Healer Ball but you have one slip up, even if a minor thing…I’ll go get her myself. Do you understand?” 

I nodded; she so totally just killed the happy feelings. There wasn’t much else I could do but agree. That seemed to satisfy the woman and she dropped the subject. We sort of sat there for a moment or two in silence until Jubilee returned suddenly. The house-elves would take up the challenge; they would make Valentine’s Day awesome! Jubilee’s exact words, no kidding.   
….  
Harry, Ron and Neville were acting weird when I got to the dorm room; Neville was cross and the other two were shifty. This was so reminiscent of last year that it wasn’t even funny and it set my instincts to screaming. I sat down cautiously next to Neville. 

“What’s going on?” I asked slowly “why do I feel like I’m sitting on a landmine?” 

Neville growled at Harry “do you want to tell her or shall I?” he demanded and scowled when Harry said nothing “we found a journal that someone had tossed in Myrtle’s bathroom. Got it through her head and she flooded the place. The initials on the diary were T.M. Riddle. They won’t believe me when I tell ‘em that’s Voldemort’s name.”

Ron shivered “do ya have to say the name?” he demanded 

I frowned “what?” I was confused “you found a diary ditched in Myrtle’s loo?” I asked and Harry nodded “and it had Riddle’s initials in it?”

“It’s just a book!” Harry fumed “and who’s to say they’re the same person?”

“He’s name was Tom Riddle, Harry,” I pointed out “that’s not a wizarding name, Harry! Besides what luck has there been this year for enchanted objects? The orb…your bludger?” I continued “do ya really want to chance it because our luck sucks!” 

“Well,” Harry stood “I’m not making an assumptions without proof, is that what your always saying, Athena?” Harry demanded before he stomped off, Ron following.  
I looked to Neville “I really hate when my logic is used against me.” 

The blonde boy just nodded darkly.   
….  
February first came and saw Hermione freed from the infirmary for which the girl was ecstatic about. That evening Harry showered her the diary, which was just better if it wasn’t talked about in our group. When Hermione saw the thing I really wanted to smack her for her reaction. 

“Oooh, does it have any enchantments?” she asked taking the thing and flipping through

I said in a serious tone, nothing playful about it “of course, it can do the River Dance in tune without music. Saw it writing poetry the other day, some of it could be likened to Edgar Allen Poe, it has such a Tell-Tale Heart.” 

Hermione frowned at me “what’s wrong, Athena?”

“There’s a small argument over the book,” Ron offered “Athena and Neville say it belonged to some bloke named Tom Riddle and Harry isn’t assuming anything.”

The no-longer-a-cat girl’s frown deepened “but that’s what Voldemort’s name was, right?”

“You could be wrong!” Harry pointed out 

“Gran told me!” I pointed back “when have I ever forgotten anything?”

“Tiberius?” Hermione offered with a smirk

Neville chimed in “my birthday?” 

“And mine.” Harry added 

I glared at Ron who was about to speak “say it and it’ll be the last thing you voice for a week,” I said dangerously and Ron snapped his mouth shut wisely. I turned back to the others “ya know what, fine, I hope that book eats your faces off and when it’s done with you lot, I fucking send it to Lockhart.” 

With that, I stood and headed to the girls’ dorm room. Bunch of idiots playing with fire they didn’t even know was fire. I hated that book, it made my left hand tingle in an unpleasant way like my hand could feel bad magic coming off it. 

Now that, that was something new I’d started to notice as the skin was getting thicker. I could feel magic; when it was hanging static in the air and when there was an enchantment on objects. It was so weird and unsettling that I hadn’t told anybody about it, mostly because I didn’t think they’d believe me.   
….  
I was ready to kill Angie by the time that the 14th came along. The girl was all over the place and I told her I was going to cut off her candy supply if she didn’t calm down. She got every emotional over that and the former chaser cried over it for a solid ten minutes, the she ran off to the bathroom to throw up. Never knew a personal to cry hard enough to throw up, like Angie said she did. I mean, I’ve cried hard enough to give myself a headache and a runny nose but that was about it. 

Then, when Jubilee brought one of the boxes to sample, Angie was grumpy about it. Jubilee just let the girl’s criticism roll off her back like she was waiting out a child’s tantrum. Jubilee shooed me away when it was over and Angie was apologizing profusely, I just walked away blinking because Angie’s eyes had turned yellow   
for a second there. Looked like Hermione’s when she was girl-kitty. 

I was going to go to Gran, on my way too when Oliver caught me in the hallway and called an impromptu lunch practice. Well, he tried too but I kicked him in the shin and told him I was starving. There was no way I was going to spend the rest of lunch flying on an empty stomach. The obsessed boy threatened to throw me off the team and then had to swallow that promise when I told him to ‘go right ahead’. 

A little later that I was standing in line for Transfiguration, with a full stomach, when Gran was coming down the hall looking harassed. Good reason for that, Lockhart was strutting beside; grinning like a fool and proclaiming there’d be no more attacks. Dumb bastard seemed to think that he’d somehow stopped the attacks. 

I slipped my hand into Hermione’s, as she was standing next to me, as I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood. Shutting my eyes tightly I counted as high as I could in German in my head. It’d been a long time since I’d spoken that language, picked it up from an Amazon who liked to get drunk and sing drinking songs in the language. I’m not sure if I was even remembering them right and was happy to it up when Hermione tugged on my hand to head into class.   
….  
Valentine’s was worse than I’d remembered it from last year; okay, the pink boxes we got at breakfast wasn’t so bad but the singing dwarves in dippers were atrocious. Things couldn’t keep a tune to save their lives. They’d been introduced by a very cheerful Lockhart in puke-worthy pink robes. Gran looked like she was doing everything in her power to keep her calm and not strangle the man with her bare hands; a muscle in her cheek was twitching with the effort she was using. Snape looked like he’d gladly kill us all with poison if anyone talked to him, at all…well, more than he normally did. 

“I want to thank all forty-six of you who sent me a card already,” the man beamed and Hermione blushed a deep red “and I see you liked my morning’s surprise but I have one more…”

“The fuck he didn’t just claim Jubilee’s box,” I snarled and made to stand as the doors to the hall opened, Ron and Neville pushed me back down in my seat and held me there as the nearly naked, looking hung-over dwarves marched in like they were looking for Snow White “Imma gonna break that bastard’s face instead of dislocating his shoulder this time,” I growled.

“Probably not a good idea, Whiskers,” Fred leaned across the table “just smile in the knowledge that he won’t be here next year,” the boy gave me a thumbs up.  
George added “they never last more than a year, so happy thoughts, Whiskers, happy thoughts.”

“Murder sounds better,” I grumbled folding my arms across my chest. 

I didn’t realize how popular I was, don’t think anybody does until you can be anonymous with Valentine’s cards. Shitty thing was that these were sung…out loud…for everyone to hear. I got three of them before lunch and poor Harry got tackled by one of his while he was trying to get to Charms. Almost wished I’d been there to see the dwarf sit on Harry and sing to him but I was a coward and ran to class to class using secret passages that I’d found last year. Well…not that being in class helped much because the dwarves just came in anyways.

Also missed Draco begin an arse and Harry using magic in the hallways, which of course, Percy saw. He’s the one Weasley who always seems to be in the right places at the wrong time for us. What got me upset though, was the fact that Harry was carrying that stupid diary around with him. Had been wondering why my hand was tingling again.   
....  
Great Divines! March came in like a breath of fresh air for the castle; even if I did get Ron Blood Lollypops for his birthday. There was much complaining on his part about it; he thought they were disgusting. Not disagreeing with him but so are those damn jelly beans he keeps getting me. 

Beyond Ron and his candy problems, there was a feeling like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders; I mean there was green grass sprouting on the castle grounds and the sun was starting to have a better time warming the air. Well, once I’d stopped talking to Harry, Ron and Hermione it was loads better because I’d gotten fed up arguing with them all them all the time. I’d gone back to answering everything with a whiteboard when I was around them or speaking through Neville.

One of these days, Harry’s going to listen to me and my hard earned wisdom will be put to use. Stupid boy playing around with an object he has no idea what does! What’s the boy do? He writes in the thing and doesn’t think to panic when the book writes back and then Harry allows the book to show him a memory! All that implies an intelligence and whoever said that enchantments had to be honest? 

Had a massive row with Harry about that. The diary had showed him Riddle’s memory of ‘capturing the Heir’ fifty years prior. Harry wasn’t happy that I’d poked holes in the whole account. He listened with gritted teeth as I counted them off. 

First: the book is probably a liar. If Riddle had known it was Hagrid, then I’m sure the Prefect wouldn’t have waited until it suited him. I mean the boy was an orphan who didn’t want to go back to the orphanage; which is suspect in of itself because of Operation Pied Piper and that Statue of Security or whatever it was. Someone have placed the boy with a wizarding foster home so he wasn’t exposing accidental magic, at least. Somewhere along the line, that boy was failed in big way.

Second: Rubeus Hagrid wasn’t a killer and he most certainly wasn’t an Heir of Slytherin. If he was, then he’d be a parselmouth as those things tend to run in families. Evidence is the founder of Ilvermorny and why her daughter never had children because she didn’t want to pass it on to another generation. Hagrid was, without a doubt, half-giant and that wouldn’t have been allowed in a pure-blood fanatic family. Sure there’s probably some creature blood in most pure-blood families but it’s well hidden considering the ministry laws and there’s no hiding Hagrid. 

Third: and this one was my kicker, the creature that Harry described was an acromantula A.K.A. huge fucking spider. They’re venomous, sure; their venom is used in potions but there is not a natural spider on this planet that can petrify its victims (except for Ronald). If a spider had been responsible than there would have been spider silk at the attack sites and massive webs all over the castle. Spiders may be sneaky but they lack subtly because cobwebs show up. There would have also been wounds on the victims.


	21. A Vow Broken….

Hermione broke first and made Harry and Ron stop discussing Riddle and the journal around the middle of March, just before Easter. She’d gotten really, really tired of my answering everything she, Harry or Ron asked with the white board while verbally answering everyone else. I had no problems with the board until Hermione snapped and threw it out the window. 

We been back to talking when Easter arrived and with it came the decision for what elective classes we wanted to start next year. I already knew what I wanted but it was fun listening to the others decide. Poor Harry had no idea what half the classes were; Divinations, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies and Care of Magical Creatures. 

Percy had tried to give Harry advice but wasn’t helpful. Neville was getting letters from almost every member of his family about it and Ronald was trying to pick the easiest. As for Hermione, well, I’m certain the girl was trying to figure out how she could take all of them at once. I could see the wheels turning in her head as she studied the sheet that Gran had handed out to her second year classes. 

“Harry,” I said finally, setting down my cup of apple cider and the near panicky boy looked across the lunch table at me “think of it this way, Arithmancy is the study of numbers to divine the future. It uses numerology, statistics and probability in combination with magic to predict the likelihood of a possible outcome, the Chinese are very much into this practice,” I explained “Ling Lee tried to explain it to me once but I suck at math,” I shrugged, it was a fact I’d accepted “Divinations is using magical arts to try and see the future. Whether through crystal balls, scrying, tea leaves or prophecy…which is all rubbish to be honest. Most prophecies are so…what’s that word…obscure or vague…that’s the word!” I snapped my fingers happily “vague enough that anything can happen and still fulfill the prophecy or people freak out and they become self-fulfilling. They either try avoiding them and end up doing what was predicted or they rush to it with no idea of what the hell they’re doing.”

Percy frowned at me “how do you know all that?” the Perfect asked. 

“Ling Lee,” I smiled “she was a witch from China who tutored me for a while. She was an animagus, martial artists and an arithmancer and very, very long lived. Also, I spent time in Macedonia with some Amazons who still prayed to Apollo and worshiped his Oracle at Delphi; there where skeptics amongst their ranks,” I smiled at the wave of nostalgia that passed over me “Ling Lee had this cane with a jade panda for the handle, liked to smack me with it gently when I’d get something wrong. Told me before we left China that I’d never be any good in the field of divining the future; my path was set in the past.”

Harry sighed “that’s nice, Whiskers, but how does that help me?” he wanted to know scratching at his head.

I shrugged “just thought you’d like to know the difference of the two.”

“Whut ones you taking, then?” Neville asked curiously looking up at me from his paper 

“Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures,” I said without hesitation “I find magical creatures fascinating and I’ve already spent a majority of my life so far immersed in the culture that surrounds them,” I shrugged again “plus I like runes. The fact that they’re like bit like Latin in the fact that it can be spoken, well written in the runes’ case, as well as conversation or with intent for magic, which is what magic is, intent. You can speak incantations all day long till your blue in the face but it’s only when you add intent for magic that something happens. I mean, imagine how much more complicated the Romans would have been with those spells popping about through a simple conversation. I bet the forum would have been wicked fun.”

Percy leaned forward towards me “you worry me sometimes, Black, because I can’t figure out if you’re really smart or really mad.”

I toasted him with my cup of apple cider “go with a bit of both, Sir Percival, for what is brilliance and what is madness?”   
…  
Wood deserved every bruise I gave him as the match with Hufflepuff drew closer. At least the weather was drier and Oliver was learning not to yell at me but to make suggestions instead. The constant practice meant less time for homework. 

Harry and I been talking about our Charms homework as we headed back. I’m sure how that stupid diary got brought up again, maybe it was Harry’s remark about asking Tom for help on one of the essay questions. That was the last straw as I grabbed Harry and dragged him away from Neville, Ron and Hermione by the front of his practice robes. Just a glance at Harry told him he should follow without compliant. Gran was in her office, making final marks when we burst in. 

“What’s this?” she demanded curiously as I dragged Harry to her desk 

“What’s the name of Lord Voldemort?” I asked shoving Harry away from me, he stumbled but kept his feet “what was his real name?”

“What?” Gran frowned “why?”

“Because that blighter won’t believe me,” I snapped pointing at Harry “he thinks I made it up or am repeating it wrong.”

Gran just sighed heavily as Harry followed his arms across his chest “he’s name was Tom Riddle, Tom Marvolo Riddle. He was out of here two years before I started my first year, Mr. Potter but I heard the stories from the older students,” with a wave of her hand, Gran conjured an additional chair and bid us to sit “he was a handsome boy who was charming, manipulative and cruel but was never caught at it. Tom Riddle was adored by his professors and made a perfect for Slytherin house,” Gran sat back in her chair as she talked “he was an orphan and strangely enough, he’d not been one of the many who’d been evacuated during 1939’s bombings. He should have been as the orphanage he lived in was in London.”

“Did…did he catch the Heir of Slytherin the last time the chamber was opened?” Harry asked hesitantly 

Gran raised an eyebrow at him curiously “how did you know that, Mr. Potter?” 

“I heard it somewhere, he’s a special award for it in the trophy room.” Harry said quickly hoping she’d believe his lie. 

“Then you know who was blamed for it then,” Gran asked and Harry nodded “always thought that was wrong, myself,” Gran admitted “like they just wanted the situation to be over and there was no real investigation to it but by my time here, Hagrid was already out of school with his wand snapped. No other school would take him once they found out why he’d be expelled and spent some time in Azkaban.”

“He spent time in Azkaban?” I frowned at the thought of someone like Hagrid in such a gloomy place.

Gran nodded “aye, he did. Had too once he was convicted of Myrtle’s death. Her guardian threatened to take legal action if nothing happened, muggle relations were closer back then with the war on. As it was, it might have been the safest place in England at the time. Spent a year there before his sentence was up and Dumbledore convinced Dippet to let Hagrid come back to Hogwarts to train as groundskeeper,” Gran sighed heavily “Hagrid had only been a third year so they’d gone lenient on him.”

“So Hagrid went to jail whilst Tom Riddle got to play the hero and frame him?” Harry asked darkly 

“IF you believe theories and not what was written down as truth,” Gran offered, her fingers interlaced and resting on her desk “but who can really say? Hagrid has maintained his innocence for these past fifty or so years.”  
….  
Harry was deep in thought as we headed back to the Gryffindor tower. He was still holding the ginger newt that Gran had gave him before she put us out of her office. It hung there at his side as if he’d forgotten it was there, he was so deep in thought. Neville caught us just before we’d gotten to the porthole and the Fat Lady.

“HARRY!” Neville cried running towards us from behind, he was panting a little “there you are, I didn’t know where ya’d gone but…” he paused to breathe “but there…something happened in the dorm rooms. Someone…well, Harry someone got into your stuff.”

Harry’s eyes went wide “the diary!” he said softly and sprinted for the portrait

Neville leaned on me as we made our way to the entrance at a much slower pace, Neville was limping. Think he pulled something whilst running about. Hermione was nervously pacing the common, keeping herself from racing for Harry’s dorm room. She helped me get Neville to a chair before I headed off to change out of Quidditch robes. 

When I came back down, Harry and Ron were down from their dorm. They were sitting by the fire and Harry couldn’t have looked more despondent if he tried. Hermione didn’t say anything as I sat down on the floor in front of her chair and leaned back against her legs, she was too busy staring at the fire.

“So, was it there?” I asked softly 

Ron shook his head “nope, it was gone.”

“Only a Gryffindor could have done it,” Harry muttered from his chair “no one else has our password.” 

“Then it would seem that whatever lead you had, Harry, to the Heir is gone,” I shrugged “and it was probably important too. Still, could have been worse I suppose.”

“How do you figure that?” Ron demanded 

I looked over at him “someone could have been in there when the thief struck, someone could have been attacked for it or they could have gone after Harry directly. Whoever it was just wanted the book.”

“Suppose you have theory about the monster too, don’t you!” Ron cried softly “you seem to have the answers to everything, Black!”

I scoffed “no, I don’t, I really, really don’t,” I shook my head “what I have is a brain and a shite load of experience before I ever came here, St. Weasley. I have no clue what the monster is and I honestly don’t even have a suspect as to who could be doing this” I admitted freely “but I can tell you that this monster has already given us clues if you pay attention.”

“The spiders,” Hermione spoke suddenly, her hand grasping my shoulder “they were acting so strangely.” 

Neville chimed in as well “plus it petrifies people…except Myrtle. What made Myrtle special?” 

“That my friend, is the million dollar question,” I smiled at him as Hermione leaned back into her chair, her hand gone from my shoulder “it’s also long lived, if we’re going on the assumption that it’s the same creature from fifty years ago. It’d have to have access to food and water too, unless it hibernates.”

“I am amazed at how your brain works,” Harry smiled at me.

I chuckled “Harry, yours would work the same as mine if you’d be taught what I’ve been taught. Fraser may have been one hell of a neglectful bastard who hated my guts but the people he met knew a lot and if you’re quiet enough, you can learn a lot.”   
….   
Katie Bell woke me early the next morning. The Hufflepuff came was today and Oliver wanted us there early because it was only my second game and first as a chaser. I wasn’t sure what else he wanted to say given he’d pretty much been repeating himself for the past two days.

Hermione was up at the same time and followed down to the Great Hall with Ron, Neville and the rest of the Quidditch team. The only problem I had eating was the fact that I was still mostly asleep when Katie started piling fruits and bacon on my plate. Katie beamed when I thanked her and then giggled when I just stared at my plate.

“Food is for the eating,” I muttered a loud not meaning too “come here, bacon, I will devour you first.” 

I felt a little more awake by the time that Harry decided to head down to the pitch. Everyone else, including Neville, had already gone ahead. We’d had gone back up to the tower to get something that Harry had forgotten, boy’d forget his head if it wasn’t attached, and were coming back to the entrance hall when Harry suddenly freak out. The boy damn near took a header down the marble staircase if Ron hadn’t caught him. 

“D-did you h-hear that?” Harry asked looking all about searching for the source of whatever he’d heard. 

“Hear what?” Ron and I asked at the same time 

“T-the voice, I j-just heard it again,” Harry was a bit jumpy now “it-it w-wanted to k-kill.” 

“Harry, it’s just like with that snake during dueling club,” I shook my head “only you can hear it, boy-o.”

Hermione gasped suddenly, grabbing me and kissing my cheek before she turned hand dashed back down the hall yelling something over her shoulder about the library. I just blinked so very much surprised at what just happened. Harry and Ron recovered first, shaking their heads and continued down the stairs. 

I was grinning, touching my cheek were Hermione had kissed me feeling like I was ten feet tall and invincible. My skin was warm to the touch because I was blushing. Hufflepuff, as much as I loved them, were in for a whopping today. This game was mine!  
…  
Harry was quiet and a little distracted as we moved with the crowd down to the pitch. We went through Oliver’s pre-match speech and had moved out onto the pitch. Hufflepuff was standing opposite us in their canary yellow uniforms. Herbert and Oliver had already taken off to their goal posts. 

The game was literally about to start when Gran came half-running onto the pitch with a purple bullhorn. There were boos and jeers when Gran announced that the match had been cancelled. I frowned, Quidditch is never cancelled. Lest that’s what Harry muttered as he fell in place next to me. 

Gran ignored Wood as he fly above her head protesting, she just raised the bullhorn and called “all students must return to their dormitories immediately, this will be done in an orderly fashion and it will be done now! Once there, Heads of House will have more information!” with that done, the bullhorn vanished and Gran came over to where Harry and I stood “Athena, Mr. Potter, you’d better come with me,” I was very worried and scared now because Gran’s expression was unreadable. My stomach dropped felt cold as Ron and Neville broke away from the horde of students “Mr. Weasley, Mr. Longbottom, you’d better come too.”  
I reached out and caught Gran’s hand “what’s going on, Gran? What’s happened?”  
…  
Gran hadn’t respond but held on to my hand as led us from the pitch to the castle. She didn’t let go nor did she take us to anyone’s office. That feeling a dread and worry became tenfold when I realized that she was heading for Hospital wing. My mind raced as to who could be there. Ron and Neville were with us, I’d seen Malcom and Izzy with their friend (I think all of them were there but I couldn’t be sure) and Harry was too and…

I gasped in heartbreaking horror “Hermione,” I dropped Gran’s hand and my broom and sprinted for the infirmary as hard as I could with Gran calling my name.   
My boot falls echoed off the halls as I ran, sliding around two corners and about killed myself going up one small flight of stairs. Madam Pompfrey’s protest at my entrance went unheeded as I searched frantically for Hermione and found her on one of the beds. Harry, Ron and Neville arrived just after me followed by a little silver, tabby cat. 

I fell to my knees beside the bed with blurry eyes that I was trying to blink clear and my breathing was ragged from more than the run; I was physical holding back my tears. My heart was in my throat, choking me and my stomach was twirling unpleasantly. Hermione looked like she’d been caught in a picture, a muggle picture. She was so utterly still and lifeless. Her body was bent over as if she was crouching and she was looking towards her hand like there’d been something there with glazed and dull eyes. 

With a trembling hand I reached out to touch her. My tears feel then when her hand felt cold and stone like under my fingers. I couldn’t breath as the salty liquid rolled down my cheeks in burning rivulets. Gran knelt downside me and held up a compact mirror before asking.

“We found them near the library, this was on the floor next to them,” she spoke softly “do you know anything about it?”

I shook my head “probably to do something with that fucking creature that’s been running afoul, Hermione had figured something out and had sprinted for the library,” I didn’t look hat her, just at my hand that was touching Hermione’s “she figured out what it was,” I looked to her then, my temper flaring. I knew that Hermione wasn’t dead and that she’d be cured when the mandrakes were ready but someone had did this to her “I want Fraser here,” I told Gran in a deathly calm voice, tears still rolling and blurring my vision, my whole body vibrating “I want him here because he’s going to find this creature and he’s going to see it burn.” 

“Athena,” Gran shook her head “I can’t do that…”

I snarled at her “if you don’t then I will!” I growled through clenched teeth “I will write him and I will order him here! HE OWES ME THIS!” I screamed at her before leaning closer and said in a quaking voice, my tone more serious than it’d ever been “if he doesn’t then I’ll go looking myself and I won’t stop until I find it!”

Gran heaved a defeated sigh before she put her arms around me, pulling me close to her and I couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. I wrapped my arms around Gran and held on as Neville knelt down and wrapped his arms around me. Harry followed next, wiping at his own tear stained cheeks; Gran got an arm around him. Ronald was the last holdout but he caved with wet eyes and Gran wrapped her other arm around him.


	22. The Descent…

I’d been wrong before, when I told Nym that this place had become hell. Great Divine, I can’t believe how wrong I’d been. I’d give anything to be taking stinging hexes and whatever else Gryffindor wanted to throw at me if it meant that I could have Hermione back. I’d take expulsion if that’s all it took. As it were, we were waiting on mandrakes to grow up and become horny little bastards because that’s when Sprout would know they were ready. 

Hagrid was taken to Azkaban and Dumbledore suspended by the School Governs. Both verdicts handed down that night that Hermione and a sixth year girl (Ravenclaw named Penelope Clearwater) were attacked. Harry told me it was a good thing that I hadn’t gone because I would have blown their cover when Lucius Malfoy showed. My temper as only being held by a fragile hope of peace; a peace which was not my own.   
…  
Healer Ball came to Hogwarts before Fraser did. Maybe if Draco had kept his damn mouth shut or if he’d headed Daphne’s warning that what happened wouldn’t have happened. We’d been in Potions Class when Draco started working his mouth. Whatever we’d been working on was forgotten when Draco mentioned Gran and how she wouldn’t last as Headmistress. I’d not cared about the Dumbledore crack, except that I was now doing DADA in the very back corner of Gran’s classroom, separate from whatever class she had going. 

Draco had been trying to convince Snape to apply for headmaster “you’ll have father’s vote, assuredly,” the blond boy announced loudly “you are the preeminent professor here, sir.”

I caught Snape’s eye roll as he headed off towards the other end of the dungeon to check on a fuming potion that wasn’t supposed to be fuming. Daphne kept eyeing me as I stir the cauldron, she refused to let me anywhere near the knives. She kept telling Draco to shut it but the boy ignored her with an irritated sneer. Then Draco broke peace I was holding tightly too for Hermione’s sake, snapping like a brittle twig in the heat of summer as if stepped on by one of Hagrid’s giant relatives. 

“It beats me why the mudbloods have turned tail and run yet,” he said very loudly to Pansy, his potion buddy “or why one of them hasn’t been killed yet. Pity…I was hoping it was that mudblood Granger who’d get killed first…ahh!”

Daphne had been trying to distract me but that went out the window as I went round our table and started for Draco at the first time he’d said mudblood. Draco was fighting back as the two gorillas weren’t coming to his aid, they just stood there looking stunned. 

“I…thought I told you…never to call her…that word again…” I ground out with every punch I landed on him “you arrogant…little…blond…bastard! You…must have…a death wish…foul…loathsome, piece of shite!” I was screaming as I pulled off Draco “say she should have died again!” I cried fighting the hold on me “see what the fuck happens, you little twat!”

“Shut it, girl!” Snape growled in my ear as he dragged me away from a battered Malfoy. The boy had landed a few of his own punches, not as many but enough that I had blood of my own on me.   
…  
Malfoy and I stood before Gran’s desk while she just stared at us, flabbergasted. We were both bloodied, bruised, clothes torn and knuckles scraped up. We’d been forced to tell her what happened after Snape had escorted us to her office, after he’d taken everyone else to their respective classes. Gran’s own class was working on essays at the moment. It was a good thing that there was a chair between me and Draco or I would have tried to knock his teeth in again. Draco had denied saying what he had and that I’d attacked for no reason. 

“Mr. Malfoy, I’m afraid that I don’t like liars as Professor Snape has already told me exactly what was said,” Gran finally found her voice “what did you think would happen with such crass and insensitive remarks?” she asked him “were you hoping for what happened, I wonder? Whatever you were hoping for isn’t going to happen. Forty points from each of you for fighting,” Malfoy made to protest but stopped when I growled at him, my eyes burning into the side of his face “I would put you in detention but I don’t have the manpower to see you safely to from detention so I am assigning you both a four foot long essay on why fighting is banned and how we must take others feelings into account before we speak.”

Gran made me stay in her office while she took Malfoy to his class and she checked on her own before coming back. She found me sitting in the corner of the room next to the portrait to her quarters. My forehead was on my knees with my arms over my head, my bloody and swollen knuckles were in view. I was trying to not break down and cry again.

All I could say was “I miss her, Gran, I want Myne back!”  
…  
Healer Ball arrived that night. About the same time that Harry and Ron were sneaking out of the castle under Harry’s invisibility cloak with Neville’s help. I was sitting on Gran’s couch with my feet drawn up to my chin staring into the fire in her quarters when Healer Ball was brought in following Gran, she’d come by portkey and landed in Gran’s office. 

“Hello, Athena,” the redhead smiled but I didn’t turn or acknowledge her in anyway “how’ve you been?” she asked pulling a chair over to sit between me and the fire “your grandma says you’ve been having a rough time since we last saw each other.”

“My head is just fine, Madame Healer,” I said softly, flicking my eyes up to meet hers “perhaps if the school would find the damn creature that petrified my best friend I’d be better or if they’d just contact St. Mungo’s for some of that mandrake potion instead of waiting for plants to get boners I’d be better.”

Ball smiled gently “I am sorry to hear about Miss Granger, from what I’ve been told the mandrakes are very close being ready.”

I snorted contemptuously “like that helps little Colin Creevy or Justine what’s-or-other who’ve been petrified for months.”

“I can’t say as to Professor Dumbledore’s reasons for what he does,” Healer Ball shrugged “I’m here for you. Minerva and your Uncle Ted told me about the ‘anger-ball’ that you encountered over the summer. Can you tell me about that?”

“What’s to say?” I asked “little orb, big anger, kicked a miniaturized wardrobe that Jubilee now keeps as a pet that she named Dopey, burned a repulsive portrait off the wall and wasn’t able to speak for a month. There, told you about it,” I held up my hand to show her the hammer and sickle at the base of my thumb “look show and tell.”

“Why did you burn a portrait?” Healer Ball tilted her head at me “can you tell me?”

I shrugged “can I? Yes, but will I? Now that’s a whole other question.”

Healer Ball just smiled “will you tell me why you burned a painting?”

“Woman was mouthy and, in addition to calling Hermione a mudblood, she told me that I had the same craziness my mum did,” I answered truthfully “which is fine because I wasn’t fond of Walburga’s particular brand of crazy either. We just didn’t agree with each other.”

“Isn’t that why you punched your cousin,” Healer Ball asked “Samuel, because he called Miss Granger a slur?”

I chuckled darkly at that “he’s a twat,” I looked up at her “did you know, Healer Ball, that in Japan when something is broken, like a vase or bowl or something, they use gold dust in the resin, in the glue? Makes the cracks stand out and becomes part of the…aesthetic of the item, part of its history. This is called Kintsugi.” 

Healer Ball smiled at me “I always learn the most interesting things whenever we met, Athena,” she winked at me “I like it.” 

“I’m tired of being angry,” I admitted “I am tired of feeling like I’ve no control over my own body…well, beyond bloody puberty. Mother Nature is a bitch!”

“Let me look in your head?” Ball tilted her head at me once more “see if I can help?”

I laughed at her “last time you did that I nearly died. Give me good reason why I should let you, Madame Healer?”

“Peace,” Healer Ball said serenely “simple peace.”

I looked to Gran leaning against the edge of the couch “last time you bribed me, I know what I want this time and it’s not a bloody sword. Either you bring him here or I learn to live with the anger.”

Gran sighed heavily “I’ve already owled him and he’ll be here tomorrow.”   
….  
What is peace? Does it have to be one thing and one thing only? I pondered this as Ball took me to that calm place and I’d expected to be back in the water floating with Amazons. However, that’s not where we went. Instead, I found myself sitting on Gran’s desk with my feet in a chair twirling my wand lazily as it watched Hermione readying herself for Gran’s next volley. Her face was mushed up in concentration and her brown eyes were flashing with determination. I felt…happy; maybe because I’d already gone through that little spaz moment of realizing that I more than probably liked Hermione more than just a friend. 

Then the moment was gone, snatched away by an unforgiving hand. Snippets of images flashed through my mind from the moment I’d caught the orb to the moment that it was ripped from my mangled and burnt flesh; from the first moment that I realized I couldn’t talk to dislocating Lockhart’s arm there in the bookshop. I roared with fury because it was coursing through me; boiling hot and all consuming. I felt my body tensing and I was ready for a fight. Healer Ball’s grip tightened on face as she worked to smooth the buildup out of anger. It was still there and still as powerful but for a second I felt in control again; just for a second. 

Slowly, Ball brought me out of the healing state. Tears streaking down her pale cheeks because she’d felt my pain too. The woman gently caressed my cheeks with her thumbs as I was still trying to find my bearings before she hugged me tightly. She hugged me the way a mother would hug a child trying to comfort them, or so I would assume. 

“I am so sorry that that happened to you,” Ball whispered as she rocked us back and forth “so much pain and anger for one so young.”

“Meh…” I shrugged and murmured tiredly, my eyes dropping lowly “there are worse things in the world.”  
…  
I woke the next morning still in Gran’s quarters. She’d, or someone at least, had moved me into Gran’s room so I was in her bed. The thing was quite comfy and warm, I tried to ignore the hand that was shaking me awake. Gran’s voice invaded the nice inky blackness that I was in and dragged me from it.

“Time to wake up, lass,” Gran called softly “breakfast starts in thirty minutes. I already called Jubilee and she’s getting your things so you can get ready there.”  
I sat up next to Gran and stretched before blinking at her and rubbing at my left palm, it’d become a nervous habit “I don’t…feel different,” I frowned at her “I thought I’d feel different.”

Gran smiled at me “lass, not all first steps in healing can be felt. Lucile just helped you to take the first step in learning control again; she didn’t take away the anger or your emotions,” the green eyed woman sighed then as she patted my cheek “my little lion, magic can’t replace nature and the healing processes. Anger is different than guilt, Athena, you can be angry and never even realize it,” she told me “guilt feels different, it feels heavy. You felt guilty about Quirrell’s death, you probably always will when you think of him. I know I feel guilty for all the lives that I’ve taken fighting Death Eaters and I feel guilt for all the lives I couldn’t save.”

I just nodded as Gran kissed my forehead and told me to go shower, fresh clothes were waiting in there for me. Gran’s shampoo smelled like heather and honey. I’d always wondered why the woman smelled like heather when she was always at the castle. The ginger newts was easy to figure about because the woman had an obsession with them. I’d gotten them for her for Christmas the past two years in addition to a Celtic horse-knot music box last year and the Gryffindor colored fedora I’d gotten her this year (I really wanted a fedora too but didn’t have the pocket money two).   
….  
Met the boys at breakfast after I’d dressed and Gran had made sure I had the little tub of lotion that was now a permanent resident on my person. I was working the lotion into my hand, sitting next to a very sleepy Angie when the three Gryffindor boys made an appearance. They just waved a greeting as Angie suddenly perked up and pulled my hand up to her face.

“What is that?” she asked sniffing my palm “I smell mint, I like mint!”

I frowned at her and the boys looked at Angie like she was from another planet “its lotion,” I said slowly holding up the little tub “Jubilee makes it for me,” I explained “can I have my hand back, sis, you’re starting to scare the locals.”

Fred and George sniggered from across the table as Angie blushed, her cheeks turned darker than normal and she let me go. I offered her the tub to use and the girl took a small dab and rubbed it into her hands. Angie hummed happily and rubbed at her stomach; another weird thing I’d noticed about her lately that she rubbed her stomach a lot and she waddled a little when she walked. 

“Why did you get so weird this year?” I asked her softly “that’s my job!”

Angie smiled softly and shrugged before she hugged me, stealing my bacon as she did so. Fred and George just laugh at the older girl’s antics. They were really laughed when I glared at her when I found the bacon gone and her munching on the last bit of it. I noticed something then, the way that George was looking at Angie. It made me smile because I could see that he really liked her, possible crush too.  
…  
I felt proud of myself after Transfiguration. I’d remembered that I wanted to talk to Gran while she took us out to Herbology, this was after her announcement that exams would continue as planned. Well, actually I passed her a note about everything I’d noticed about Angie because I didn’t want other people over hearing me. Gran looked confused as she read my note, raising an eyebrow and then her lips tightened in to an angry line as her brow furled. 

Her features softened a bit when she looked back towards me and noticed that I looked very confused. She tried to smile at me but failed as she folded my note back up and put it in a pocket inside her robes. When Gran deposited at the green houses, she patted my shoulder reassuringly and left in a hurry. 

At lunch, before anyone could sit near us, the boys told me of their adventure last night. Neville had distracted Percy and the other Prefects who’d been lingering by the door with one of George’s fireworks allowing Harry and Ron to sneak out through the porthole. 

They had admitted that I was right, Aragog (Hagrid’s creature) was a giant ass spider. The spider had told them that what was in the castle was ancient and an enemy to spiders. It’d scared the crap out of the spider because it’d begged Hagrid to let him go because Aragog could feel the thing moving through the castle. It confirmed what we’d guessed about Myrtle and I wasn’t the only one frustrated with the fact that the girl wouldn’t tell us how she died. 

Our conversation was interrupted when Ginny sat down next to me at the table. She looked conflicted and it was strange to see her away from her friends. Ginny had been very protective of them since Hermione had been attacked. Poor Luna wasn’t to go anywhere without Izzy or Ginny accompanying her and Annie was always surrounded by Hufflepuffs per Ginny’s orders. Susan and Cedric hadn’t minded because they were already keeping a close eye on the girl. 

“What’s up, Ginger girl?” I asked

Ginny shifted uncomfortable and only spoke when Ron told her to speak or get lost, I thanked Neville when he smacked the boy. I poked Ginny’s side and she said “I-I have something that I need t-to tell you.”

I rubbed at her shoulder “it’s alright, Ginny, you can tell us.”

She hesitated until Harry leaned forwards across the table and whispered lowly “if it’s something important, Ginny, you can tell us. If you’ve seen something or saw someone acting odd you can…”

“Ginny!” Percy called tiredly making the girl jump “I’ll take that seat if you’re done eating.”

“She’s not!” I glared at him “there are literally a dozen other seats open along the table!”

Ginny jumped up and shook her head “that’s alright, Athena, I’m d-done anyways.” 

The fled as Percy sat down and pulled an empty plate to himself and started to fill it with food before getting himself a cup of tea. It took a little bit for him to notice that the four of us were glaring at him. He paused with his cup halfway up and shook his head.

“What’s wrong with you lot?” he asked 

Neville growled at him “she was about to tell us something important, ya blighted tosser!”

“Mr. Longbottom, I do believe that you’ve been too much time with my brother and Miss Black,” Percy said with distaste for the name he’d been called “besides, what was she going to say?”

“How the bloody hell do we know?” Ron demanded throwing his hands up “she never got the chance ta say before your stupid face showed up! She was going to tell about something odd or…”

“Oh, t-that’s not important,” Percy said immediately with a wave of his hand and he blushed “sh-she walked in on me…she saw me…”

“Goodness, Percy,” I grinned “you look guiltier than a crook caught red-handed,” I teased “what exactly did Miss Ginny walk in on? Hmm…?” 

The boy harrumphed “never you mind, Miss Black.”

I picked up a roll from the basket between me and Harry “hey, Sir Percival,” Percy rolled his eyes at me “how many points would you take if I threw this at your head?”

Percy frowned “fifteen, but don’t you think you’ve enough trouble for the year?”

I nodded “you’re absolutely right, Percy,” I tossed the roll to Ron and grinned “but Ron hasn’t.” 

The roll bounced off Percy’s forehead at the same time the four of us got up and quickly left with Percy shouting after us. Ron had dipped the roll in butter before tossing it at his brother. The incident with Percy was a nice little boost to morale; something that was very much lacking at the moment.   
…  
That evening, Gran pulled me from the common room after dinner; Fraser had arrived. He was thinner than I remember nor he wasn’t as tall. His hair was longer than usual but his clothes were clean and he didn’t smell of fire-whiskey. That was an overall improvement.

“You need a haircut, hippy,” Fraser greeted me while stealing another biscuit from the tin on Gran’s desk “and you’ve gained weight, congratulations, fatty.”

“You’re still a prick,” I tried not to smile at his reaction “congratulations and looks like you found your celebratory biscuit.” 

He huffed “you lost your fear of me, you little shite.”

“I just found something scarier than you,” I merely shrugged as Gran came back into the room as she’d stepped into her quarters for small leather bound journal “which I can totally thank you for, however, comparing scare factor isn’t really why you’re here.”

“Pfft…shut it, ya little bint,” Fraser growled and then jumped when Gran hit him with a stinging hex “what was that fer?” he demanded rubbing his shoulder

“Do not call her that or I’ll do worse next time, do you understand me, Blake?” Gran said in a low but dangerous tone 

“Whatever,” he sneered “now why was I summoned here like a dog?”

“Because there’s a creature stalking the halls of Hogwarts,” Gran tossed him the journal as I hopped up on the edge of her desk “you are only here because Athena demanded it.”

“What would the chit want me?” Fraser asked absently and yelped with the journal in hand, Gran had hit him again “damn it! Aunt Min, that hurts!” 

“I know,” she told him “call her another name and see what happens nephew.”

He glared at her and went back to the book he was looking at “fleeing spiders, petrified victims, dead fowl? Is this a joke?” he asked looking up at her “because this has to be a joke.”

Gran shook her head “no, that is a list of the strangeness that’s occurred this year even if it doesn’t seem relevant.”

“There’s only one creature I know that has all of these…cocked-up ‘occurrences’ and that’s a bloody basilisk,” Fraser tossed the journal back “ya’d better hope that’s not what this beastie is, Aunt because they’re bloody fucking hard ta kill off. There’s not been one seen in England in the past…oh four hundred years or so. The ICW is so scared of them that they monitor chicken coops like it’s a bloody religious sacrament.” 

I frowned “I thought a basilisk’s gaze killed though….oh…” it donned on me then “what if they saw it in a reflection?” I asked 

Fraser smirked “least yer brains haven’t gone ta pudding,” he leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs, an ankle up over his knee with his ringed hands in his lap “heard tell that’d petrify alright. Happened in India ‘bout hundred and fifty years ago. I suppose ya’ve mandrake, right?” he asked “because tha’s how they got them folks undone. Spiders don’t like them and rooster’s crow is deadly to them.”

“How do you kill them?” Gran asked “incase that’s what this is?”

“Oh, he’s going to be investigating it,” I spoke up before Fraser could “he’s going to find it and kill it,” I grinned at the scowling man “I mean what better publicity than the man who did was Gilderoy Lockhart couldn’t?”

“Whut does that numpty have to do with this?” Fraser demanded 

I grinned “the pounce works here,” the look on Fraser’s face was priceless “caused a lot of headaches since before he started.”

“Wait…” Fraser threw up his hands before pointing at me “didna I read somethen in the paper ‘bout a wee lass doin’ somethen to that idiot?”

My grin grew bigger “you were right about that the one hold dislocating a bloke’s arm. He touched me.”

Fraser grinned then “well, once again, not brains for pudding. Please tell me yer not actually listening ta him?” 

I shook my head “nope, I’m not even in his class because I got thrown out of it.”

“Don’t sound so proud of yerself, lass,” Gran grumped “tha’s not an accomplishment!”

I just shrugged at her and looked to Fraser “so how do you kill a basilisk?”

Fraser took a deep breath “well…” he said letting it out “it’s nearly impervious to magic, got skin like a dragon, and eyes like medusa when reflected. Those blokes in India used smoke to obscure its vision and then used magic guided arrows to take out its eyes,” Fraser sighed “least ways, tha’s what Willie Pembroke and I figured they done because the story goes tha’ they chopped its head off with a giant guillotine they’d made out of a large sheet of metal. Had it chase em’ through a large drain pipe.”  
“Pipe?” I frowned   
“Oh, aye,” Fraser nodded “sneaky bastards are a bit like that Aztec double-headed snake that escaped from the British museum twenty years ago or so. Got out through a drain pipe, wrecked all sorts of havoc round London before the ministry caught the little bugger in a bit of metal tubing,” he grinned with child-like delight “or that Grootslang down in Africa. Damn thing moved through those tight cave systems slicker than a slag’s cunt on payday.”

“BLAKE DONALD FRASER! Was that necessary?” Gran cried indignantly 

“Meh…not the worst I’ve ever heard him say,” I shrugged and then snapped my fingers at him “do you remember that Amazon who considered herself Roman instead of Greek?”

“The one that tried to hex my nethers off?” Blake asked shifting uncomfortable 

“Well, if you hadn’t kept grabbing her arse she wouldn’t have been as tempted,” I snarked at him “but she had a spell that could turn things into swords and spears.”

Fraser smirked “I remember, and with that brain of yours, so do you ya sneaky little chit, it was ad gladium and ad hastam.”

“Whatever you’re thinking, Athena, don’t.” Gran growled in warning.   
…  
I didn’t see any of the boys that night before I went to bed. I wanted to tell them what Fraser had told me and Gran. Angie thwarted me next morning, dragging me out of bed super early, throwing clean clothes at my head and demanding that I get dressed. Only reason I didn’t go back to bed was because she threatened magic on me if I didn’t comply. 

“Is she right in the head?” Eloise asked when I fell out of bed in a tangle of blankets 

I looked up at her and shook my head “I’m beginning to think not.” 

Eloise yawned and muttered before she went back to sleep “you’d better get a move one, Athena, before the mental one comes back.”

The bed had been against me and then it was the stair’s turn. I slid down the last few steps and found Angie at the table in the corner chewing on a celery stick with a steaming cup of tea next to a notebook she was writing something in. The girl smiling and brightened when she watched me sit down across from her.

“Took you long enough, little lion.” She smirked 

I blinked blearily “lion not awake, she-devil.” 

“Right, now that you’re here I wanted your help with something,” she informed me “I want you to help me with baby names.”

“What?” I blinked at her confusedly “what? Why and why so damned early?”

“Ugh…my cousin’s having a baby…and asked us to help pick a name,” she offered tentiaviely “I wanted help and I choose you,” Angie grinned at me “so far I’ve Ruben, Marcus, Steven, Jerry, and Giles…”

“Wait!” I put up my hands “you’re serious then?” she nodded “fine, but those are all rubbish. Ruben is a sandwich, Marcus was a Roman, Steven was Capitan American and Giles is likely ta send the poor kid towards dark magic as a teenager.”

“What about Jerry?” Angie frowned 

“Professional hunter in the States,” I shrugged “what sort of name does she want, yer cousin? Does she want something that means something, is she going for ethnicity sort of thing?”

“Ugh…well, she didn’t say,” Angie admitted “I’m thinking, though, well…I like France and Norway.”

“François with the nickname of Frankie or Erik with a K and no C,” I was rubbing at my eyes again “or Andre, Leif…”

Angie smiled “I think I got it,” she wrote something down “what do you think of Erik Andrew?” 

“I like it,” I nodded “I’m not just saying that either but can I go back to sleep now?”

Angie looked to her watch “nope,” she shook her head “breakfast!”

The girl beamed, heaved herself from her chair. She yanked me from mine and headed towards the Great Hall. Angie was very clingy throughout the rest of the day; I was seriously ready to put the girl in St. Mungo’s. She sat with me at lunch to choose a girl’s name, Donna Rose was the finalist. 

She was there at dinner, begging some more of the lotion. Angie squealed happily when I just gave her the tub of lotion I had on me. The girl stayed with me once we returned to Gryffindor tower, sat on my bed listening to the radio, cuddling with Forge until she fell asleep. Parvati, Lavender, Eloise and I just left her there and I sleep in Hermione’s bed because Angie was seriously in a heavy sleep.   
…  
Angie decided to stay in bed the next morning, cuddling with Forge; Jubilee promised to look after the girl who’d gone back to sleep. It was like if Angie hadn’t slept in days. However, I was grateful for this because it finally gave me a chance to relay everything that Fraser had told me in Gran’s office. Harry just blinked while Ron and Neville paled; they both knew how bad it being a basilisk meant.

“That explains the voice I heard, but not why,” Harry scratched at his head staring gloomily at his eggs “but how was everyone getting petrified?”

Neville shrugged “there’s was loads of water on the floor on Halloween, maybe Mrs. Norris seen the thing’s reflection.”

“Colin through the camera?” Harry theorized “the film went up in a poof when Dumbledore opened it.”

“Hermione figured it out, she really did,” I chuckled humorlessly “that’s why our Granger girl had the mirror. She was looking around the corner and that’s why she was crouched over.”

“And…and Hermione wouldn’t have let anyone go without telling them,” Ron chimed in “that’s why that Ravenclaw was with her.” 

“Justin saw it through Sir Nick and Nick took the brunt of the gaze,” Harry said solemnly shoving his plate away “but that doesn’t explain how it’s getting about the castle! Gah! I wish Myrtle would just tell us how she bloody fucking died!”

Neville was the voice of reason “well, what do we know about how she died?” 

“Took ‘em hours to find her,” I offered with a shrug “think she’d been crying before her death, I mean, why else haunt Hornby the way she had?”

Harry sighed heavily when he looked to the clock on the wall. It was time to head to class with our mystery unsolved. I headed for Gran’s classroom where I was tucked in the corner to do self-study and turn in a sheet of answered questions from the book; this is how’d it been since Dumbledore had been sent away. It was working so far but at the moment, I just wished that I could focus on the work.   
….  
Harry and Ron…well, and Neville were bad; but Neville was turning out to be very good at distractions. Harry and Ron had snuck out of Lockhart’s class and snuck into infirmary. I’m not sure how they avoid Madam Pompfrey and I’m a little afraid to ask but I’m certain that it has to do with invisible cloak that Harry owns.   
However, that was beyond the point because the boys had found a note clutched in Hermione’s hand. She’d ripped a page from a book…damn Myne! Anyways, she’d tore a leaf out that was on the basilisk and it made me think back to that moment on the marble stairs. When she’d kissed my cheek; it was because I’d made the comment about Harry being a parselmouth. 

“Look,” Neville pointed to it, we were huddled there at the lunch table “pipes, that’s how it’s getting about!”

“Fucking big arse pipes round this place,” Ron snorted “do you know how big those buggers get?” 

We all took a glance at the walls and shuddered “so what we going to do with this?” I asked “we could take it to Gran or Fraser.”

“I don’t think he’s here,” Neville said honestly “there was a reason that Lockhart let Ron and Harry out of class so easily. He was ranting about Fraser being in the castle, guys, he was talking about he’d had to fight off another trying to steal his glory and fame. How he’d driven the usurper out.”

I snorted “if Fraser left it was because he didn’t have what he needed here to fight the snake,” I shook my head “that man is very loyal to his Laird and Gran is his Laird. She wouldn’t have just let him leave either.”

“So what do we do then?” Ron asked 

Harry shrugged “wait until tomorrow, if he hasn’t returned by then, then we go to McGonagall,” he nodded like that had just cemented our plan in place “after last year I really don’t want to face another situation without adult help.”

“Agreed.” Ron, Neville and I said at the same time.  
….  
Fraser hadn’t return before trouble struck that Friday. During lunch Gran had announced that the mandrakes were ready for to be harvested. It’d take three days for the potion to be ready, just in time for exams but we were still pounding on the tables over the news. There were grins all about, Daphne even flashed me one from the Slytherin table. Annnnnd….then fate, that vicious bitch, ripped it all away while we were in History of Magic. 

Instead of a bell ending class like it should of it was Gran’s voice echoing throughout the castle “all students must return to their home dormitories, immediately! All staff must report to the staffroom…now!”

Kaylee frowned and started shooing us the rest of the way out the door. Harry grabbed my arm and we followed Neville and Ron into a secret passage. If we hurried we could get to the staffroom and possible overhear what was going on. It’d give us the chance to possible present what we’d figured out to them…thus how we found ourselves in in a very cramped wardrobe in the back corner of the staffroom that probably hadn’t been used in years. 

“What’s happened?” Kaylee asked, with the four of us in the wardrobe we could only hear.

“A student’s been taken,” Gran’s voice heavy with sorrow “into the chamber itself.” 

There were gasps all around the room. The four of us in the wardrobe froze, a fear settling over us as to what we’d hear next. Beyond the scratches and scraping of chairs being pulled out and being sat in. 

“How can be we sure of this?” Professor Snape asked, his voice tight with dread 

Gran answered “there was a message painted on the wall underneath the other: her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever more.”

“Who…who is it?” Professor Sprout asked shakily “who-whose been taken?”

“Ginny Weasley,” Gran answered solemnly, three hands slapped over Ron’s mouth before he could make a noise “we’ll have to send the children home, now…”

Gran was cut off when there came the slam of a door opening “sorry ‘bout that,” Lockhart called jovially “afternoon nap caught me unawares, what’ve I missed?”

“Man of the hour,” Kaylee called with false joy, which was unmistakable in her voice “a gallant hero come to the rescue, a child has been stolen away to the monster’s chamber.”

“Parmenter is right,” Snape added in “you are the man for the job, I mean, you ran off Blake Fraser, now you can show us what you can do. The man behind the books,” he sneered. 

Sprout spoke next as Ron pulled our hands from his mouth so he could breathe “weren’t you telling us about how you knew exactly were the chamber was?”

“Well…I may have…you’re probably remembering wrong…” Lockhart stuttered 

“Very well, you’ve convinced us,” Gran called and there was the slap of a hand meeting a person’s shoulder “you can go after the creature tonight. You’ll have first crack before Blake returns with his reinforcements.”

There was some scuffling about before a door open and closed quickly “thank Merlin!” Professor Sinistra called “with that idiot gone, now what do we do?”

“Only thing we can do,” Gran declared sadly “we’ll have to tell the children. Heads of House them know that they’ll have to stay there until the Hogwarts Express can take them home. Everyone one, please make sure that there are no children outside of the dorms.”  
…  
We came out when we thought we heard the last teacher leave only to find Gran leaning back against the worn couch with her arms folded across her chest starting at our wardrobe. Before she could say anything to chastise us, Ron ran to her and threw his arms around her before he started crying. 

“There now, Mr. Weasley,” Gran cooed softly, rubbing at his back as she hugged him back “it’ll be alright, I’ve already sent an elf after Blake to bring him back as quickly as possible.”

I frowned “we know what’s down there, Gran,” I told her, she raised an eyebrow at me “Hermione figured it out, that’s why she was coming from the library and Fraser confirmed it.”

“We know that Myrtle was killed by the creature fifty years ago and that she may know something that can help,” Harry added “we know that it’s been moving through the pipes.”

“And we weren’t going to do anything but tell you,” Neville added hastily “I think we got our fill of not going to the adults last year.”  
Gran smiled slowly at us “you lot have done well, put us closer than we were before.”

“H-how did you know we were in there?” Harry asked curiously 

Gran raised an eyebrow at him “you don’t think that I didn’t do a headcount of my house and Ravenclaw to make sure my grandchildren were alright before coming here?” she asked “Malcom and Izzy were where they were supposed to be, you four were not and Miss Weasley were not. So, I thought to myself, if I were Athena and the boys, where’d I turn up when I’ve the habit meddling in things I ought not?”

“Snape’s wardrobe?” I offered weakly “or Lockhart’s, except that one would be scary."


	23. The Chamber that Slytherin Built…

Gran led us back to the Gryffindor dormitory; Ron refused to let her go as if she was the only thing keeping the boy from breaking down. The common room had expanded again to allow for everyone to be present as Gran delivered the dire news. Fred and George looked devastated, sinking down the wall they’d been standing in front of while Angie had taken charge of Ron from Gran. Percy had turned white as a ghost and didn’t seem to know what to do with his hands; whether to run his hands through his hair or put them at his hips or even cross his arms. 

“I should write mother and father,” the redheaded perfect nodded to himself “they should know.”

“I’ve already sent them an owl, Mr. Weasley but you are more than free to send your own,” Gran assured him “keep in mind that help is coming. We’ve a competent creature hunter coming, he’ll be here as soon as possible.”

Percy just nodded before he started stumbling towards the stairs. Gran patted Neville and I on the shoulders before she left the common room, ordering everyone to stay put. Everyone for the most part did like Percy had done and gone back to their dorm rooms. Ron, who was still being hugged by Angie, Neville and Harry sat on the couch staring at the fire while I had the chair at the end of the couch. 

None us of could image Ginger being gone. Malcom had sprinted to his dorm room with tears in his eyes and looking like he wanted to scream and punch something hard. Ginny was the lunch pin to so many relationships and I really liked her; mostly because she never punched me for calling her Ginger Girl. She was so easy going and fun to joke with. 

“She knew,” Ron whimpered, finally speaking since before we entered the wardrobe “she tried telling us and whomever took her.”

“Damn fine coincidence too,” I smirked angrily, my head in my hands and my elbows on my knees “get the news about the mandrake potion and fuck if this doesn’t happen, ach! It twisting my stomach up, ya know, should have wrote Fraser when you suggest, Ron,” tears blurred my vision “I should’ve swallowed my hurt and pride and I should have done as you asked at Christmas.”

Ron chuckled darkly “how could you have known?” he asked pulling his head off Angie’s shoulder “I know why you didn’t and you did get him here. Do you have faith in him?” Ron asked suddenly. 

I looked up at him, tears rolling down my cheeks “he’s never failed to capture what he’s hunted,” I said honestly “I mean, he’s a complete bastard and sometimes a complete waste of flesh but he knows what he’s doing.”

“But Gil…Lockhart said he’d find Ginny,” Angie frowned “why do you have no faith in him?”

I blinked at the girl, we all did “because…” I just sighed, I was tired of repeating it “because I know what Fraser’s capable of, Angie, I’ve seen him work. Been on several hunts with him and a few of those were very much against Kaylee’s wishes because I was the bait. I’ve never seen Lockhart accomplish anything other than being late for dinner and nearly having me expelled.” 

Angie’s eyes flashed in determination, her hand rubbing at her stomach almost protectively “you’ll see, little sister, he’ll come through and save Ginny. He’ll prove himself to be the man he is in his books.” 

I could see the same look in Ron, Neville and Harry’s eyes that I’m sure I wore myself, we very much doubted she was right “we’ll see, sister. Either way; Ginny Weasley needs to come home. It would be very much appreciated if she were alive when she gets here.”   
….  
That afternoon lasted for an eternity. Never had we seen the Gryffindor house so somber and dreary. As if all the life there in had been sucked away; there were no words spoken above a whisper and the only noise to break that unspoken agreement of silence were the sniffles of some of the girls. The boys looked pale and withdrawn, even the ones who’d never spoken to Ginny; only knowing her as a fellow Gryffindor. 

Ron was getting more irritated the longer the afternoon wasted away and there was no word from either Lockhart or Fraser. His knee was bouncing faster and faster, he was wringing his hands and the boy just couldn’t sit still for the life of himself. Angie was worried about him and tried to keep him in conversation about Quidditch and his favorite team; the Chudley Cannons. 

The sun was starting to set when Angie ran out conversation with a heavy huff that left her yawning. She blinked once before snapping her fingers and smiled at me; telling me that she’d was going to dig into my candy stash. I’d gotten more over Easter and it was un-freaking-believable in how much was left over; I could probably open my own shop if I wanted. 

Angie had disappeared up the stairs when Ron’s eyes went wide “bloody shit!” he hissed and looked to the rest of us “he doesn’t know what we do! Even if Lockhart’s looking, the bleeding knob doesn’t know where to start looking!”

Ron was on his feet and racing for the porthole with us on his heels. Nobody called out for us to stop or even questioned us as we left. There was no one in the darkened halls to stop us as we made our way to Lockhart’s office, we figured that’s where he’d still be if he’d yet to start his search. The four of us were doubtful that he had but stranger things had happened as Neville put it. 

It as odd to be back in the DADA classroom and not contemplating doing something to the desks; though it had been months since I’d been in here. Ron led the way to Lockhart’s office door and…paused with his hand ready to knock. There were strange noises coming from the other side, like someone was hastily shoving furniture about and hurried bangs. Ron looked back at us confused but none of us three could answer what was going on in there; the redheaded boy finally let his hand fall in rapid session on the wood of the door. 

The door creaked open “oh…M-Mr. Weasley…and-and company, what-what are you doing here?” Lockhart asked distractedly 

“We’ve information you need, sir,” Ron said quickly “about the creature you’re hunting.”

Lockhart blanched and stammered incoherent for a moment before sighing and opened the door to let us in “well…I guess, hmm…alright, might as well,” he was muttering to himself as we entered his office.

I frowned as I looked around “you goin’ somewhere, Mr. Lockhart?” I asked as it looked like half his office had been hastily shoved into the trunks that littered his office. One trunk had the corner of a blanket and a robe sleeve sticking out the side. 

Lockhart growled softly “yes…well, got called away on something more important, you see…” he stopped talking when he stumbled backwards when my fist thwacked him just below his eye, my signet ring cutting his cheek.

“You fucking coward!” I cried as Harry pulled me backwards, away from the man “you bleeding, twisted knob of a whoreson! Yellow bellied, fraudulent piss-ant!”

“I wouldn’t!” Ron growled pointing his wand at the irate man “you slimy git, that’s my sister out there!”

“I’m dreadfully sorry, Mr. Weasley but-but there are some sacrifices that…” he started 

Neville exploded “what sacrifices?! You’re the DADA professor and you’re leaving a girl to die!”

“This wasn’t in the job description when Lucius Malfoy got me this position!” Lockhart hissed “he promised to boost my sales and what better way than making my books mandatory?”

“What about those things you did in your books?!” Ron gaped at him “or has Black been right this whole bloody year?” Ronald demanded, his face getting to the same shade as his hair “you really are a knob fraud?”

“Do you really think that I would have sold as good if I wasn’t the one who did those things?!” Lockhart hissed angrily “my dear boy, there isn’t a soul alive who wants to hear about some hag or some man who carries supplies to some stupid temples…”

“You bastard!” I cried, my eyes wide; good thing that Harry still had a hold of me “you did that! You hurt Bishal!”

Lockhart gaped at me “you knew him?”

“Of all the fuckery, you twat! Of course I did, sort of. How many times do I have to say that the monster hunting community all knows each other?!” I rolled my eyes, very aggravated “Fraser knew him, drank with him whenever he was in the area and traded for some of the things the man would bring back from the temples. All the hunters did! Where do ya think Bishal got the coin to pay for the supplies?” I smirked “bet you did in Jonny Gilman too!”

Lockhart’s face turned red again “you really are a pain in the arse, Black,” he hissed “too bad Dumbledore wouldn’t do as I told him and expelled you!”

“Too bad your slag of a mother didn’t swallow instead,” I snarled, annnnd there was my temper in full “I bet your birth certificate was a fucking apology letter from the inventor of the contraception potion,” Neville and Harry just gaped as Lockhart snarled at me while Ron tightened his hold on his wand “bet when your mother met your father they were both dressed as men and a very small amount of coin exchanged hands for your mistake of conception! Or were they both dressed as women and it was you da who got the knut?” I asked darkly 

Lockhart was trembling with rage now “you know, there was always one spell that I was very good at,” Lockhart’s voice cracked with restrained anger “I may not have excelled like I was expected too while in Ravenclaw house but I was brilliant with a memory charm…” he smirked “not that you’re remember this conversation, you foul mouth…”

“EXPELIARMUS!” Ron cried just as Lockhart was drawing his wand, Neville kicked it where it landed to rattle under a heavy looking wardrobe “evil monologue after you do the thing, ya knob top, geez! Don’t you read comic?” Ron asked shaking his head at the shell shocked man. 

“So, what we going to do with him?” Neville asked as Harry finally let me go “I say we tie him up, hang him from the rafters and let Athena hit him again, like those things muggles have at parties…ya know, the things with candy in them?”

“They’re called piñatas,” Harry sighed, talking over Lockhart’s gurgle of outrage and then shook his head “and no, I think we need to make Gilderglow an honest man,” Harry smirked “or bait or the front man, as it were. We know that Myrtle as the last clue we need, he can take us there and we can make him look round corners for us.”

Lockhart shook his head “hey, now, children…y-you don’t want to do that!”

I took a deep breath as I moved towards him “you’re wrong ‘bout that, Gilderglow,” I said before hitting him again, he cried out when blood spurted from his nose “that’s for all those people you stole from and ruined their lives. The ones who can’t do for themselves anymore, who have to be taken care of when they were the ones doing the taking caring of! Bishal actually had children that depended on him, you wanker!”  
…..  
Lockhart was not a happy man as four wands guided him through the halls towards the haunted lavatory. Oh, he was far from it and going farther with every corner we came too. By the time we got to the bathroom the man was borderline completely livid and ready to piss himself out of fear. Myrtle was sitting on the desk at the end of the stalls, humming one of the songs I’d taught her and swinging her legs. 

“Oooh, it’s you lot,” Myrtle grinned when she saw us “I was wondering when you’d come back around. Been lonely here since the Granger Kitty incident.”

I smiled softly at her “sorry about that love, things got complicated and well…still my favorite place to hang out in the castle,” that made the ghostly girl giggle “but now, we need your help, beautiful, we need to know how you died. Maybe you can help us keep another girl from dying the same way you did.”

Myrtle’s eyes lit up “ooh, I can do that,” she smoothed out her skirt and cleared her throat “well, you see, it was dreadfully tragic. There’s a reason I’ve a flare for the dramatics, my Greek Goddess, see, that cow Olive Hornby had been teasing me about my glasses…you think my glasses are cute…right?” she asked 

“Of course,” I said in a heartbeat “gives you that smart girl vibe, I like smart girls.”

Myrtle giggled while the boys just raised an eyebrow at me “oh, you don’t know how true that is yet, Athena; however, I’d came in here crying cause of that cow,” her giggles had stopped “been in here a while when I heard a boy talking near the sinks,” Myrtle pointed to the sinks behind us “came out to tell him to go away, boys,” she glared at my companions and Lockhart “aren’t allowed in here. Came out and saw them, big yellow eyes. Felt nothing after that until I heard Olive’s voice calling for me and demanding to know if I was still bawling like a child over something as simple as words.”

“Did you hear was the boy was saying, by chance?” Neville asked 

Myrtle shook her head “he was drunk or having an episode because his words were really slurred and hissy like.”

“Parselmouth, maybe?” Ron asked “I mean, what she said short of described Harry at the duel.”

“That I was pissed or having a moment?” Harry frowned “and here I thought you were my mate.”

There chuckle from Ron, Neville and I as we headed back to the sinks, I looked to Harry “why don’t you try it, Harry, like open or something.”

Harry closed his eyes and spoke a moment later. His words were strange and alien sounding. We all jumped when the sink started to shift and come apart to reveal the opening to a pipe that went downwards. For a long moment we just stared at it. 

“Right, so, this is we part away,” I said suddenly, my mind racing “Ron, Neville, you lot have the most important part of this,” they all looked at me confused “you two need to go and convince Gran that we found the entrance to the Chamber. She’s probably not going to listen at first but you have to get through to her.”

“What?” Ron demanded “no! I’m going to rescue my sister!”

I grabbed his arm as he turned towards the pipe “Ronald, the first wave don’t always take the hill. In a battle, historically, the first wave most always never take the hill when the enemy is entrenched like this,” I pointed out “you and Nev are our Calvary, our backup. Which is smarter?” I asked “all of us going and this thing closing up and they never find it or having someone stay behind and show them where it is?”

“But I do I have to do it?” Ron demanded 

“I can go with Mr. Weasley and Longbottom,” Lockhart offered with a gulp, his fists clenched “I mean, looks like you and Harry have everything under control.”

I ignored Lockhart, keeping my focus on Ron asking him very seriously “which of us is going to be more determined to get them to listen? You know once they listen, Gran’s going to come after me. Normally I’d say Nev go with me because he’s a bit more experience dueling but we all know that the boy needs to work on his stutter when he’s nervous,” I looked to the blond boy who was blushing “Neville, I love ya to death like a brother and I’m not picking on you but…”

He shrugged and sighed “I know,” he said before giving Lockhart a sudden shove from behind and sending the man head first into the pipe “oops,” he sniggered darkly “couldn’t let you have all the fun, Whiskers.”   
…

I followed after Harry down the pipe, sliding on my backside. The pipe twisted and turned and I could see Harry’s lumos just ahead of me; the slope was as steep as I feared but it did feel we slid for a long time. At the end it evened out and we came to a cavern that had pipe entrances going off in different directions. The whole place was lit up with greenish-white light, I wasn’t sure if it was natural bioluminescence or it if there were charmed fairy lights about. 

“Well, that’s not creepy at all!” I muttered looking down to see what was cracking and snapping under my feet. 

There were literally thousands of bones scattered about the floor and were almost ankle deep in places. Lockhart was across the room gaping at what could only be the cast off skin of the basilisk. The thing was fucking humongous, well around six meters long. It was clear and see through, the face of the thing was ruined but there was no crown up top for plumage. The skin was pretty old considering out brittle it was when Harry throw a rat skull at it, tore through it like paper.

“This one’s a female,” I pointed at the head “no plumage, this has to have been here from the last time the chamber was opened.”

“How do you figure that, you little chit?” Lockhart demanded 

I sighed “by how brittle it is, new skin this size and in this damp would have bounced that skull off it or not torn as easily.”

“Oh,” Lockhart blinked “right.”

“You do realize this means that that damn nope rope is considerably bigger now, right?” I pointed out “this was fifty years ago and snakes don’t really stop growing.”

“You’re not helping, Whiskers!” Harry hissed searching for the right pipe to take to the chamber. 

Lockhart lunged suddenly at Harry and had a hold of him before I could act. He had Harry’s wand and had it pressed painfully into the underside of Harry’s jaw. There was a hateful hectic look in Lockhart’s eyes as he looked at me, flicking between my wand and my face. 

“Toss your wand away, Black, because I would seriously hate to have to kill Harry,” he snarled “I will, I’ve done it before, you know because not all those idiots I stole from succumbed to my memory charm,” I hesitated “don’t test me little girl, not again!” I growled as I tossed my wand towards the pipe that had brought us down here; Lockhart grinned like a maddened child on Christmas “now this is better, don’t you think?”

“Not particular,” I huffed “why don’t you let Harry go, yea?”

Lockhart frowned and shoved Harry towards me, the boy stumbled over the bones “you know, my sweet little Angelina is going to be so heartbroken to learn about the death of her little sister,” Lockhart sighed mockingly. A dark dread entered my gut as the man continued to speak “Merlin only knows how many she begged me to leave you be, to not make things worse for you but after what you did, you little bitch, I couldn’t let you be. Though she was very convincing, finally let me take her lovely bum,” he laughed when Harry grabbed me to keep me in place; I’d realized what he was saying. 

“You sick cunt!” I snarled, trying to get free of Harry’s hold “how dare you talk about my sister that way!”

Lockhart shrugged “then you won’t like me telling you that I took Angelina’s innocence and she begged me for it; the girl begged me for my cock like the little slag she is.” 

“SHUT IT!” I screamed, my temper returning in full. It was like when someone used a certain slur towards Hermione “SHUT YOUR FUCKING FACE! YOU WHORESON’S BASTARD IMP!” 

Lockhart started laughing “oh, then you’re really not going to like me telling you that I’ve been shagging the girl since the first weekend at the start of September term. She’s got my child growing within her,” the man sighed dramatically “normally I’m careful with that sort of thing but when Angie loses the charms and shows me her swollen belly…well…watch it!”

I was kicking bones at him while Harry struggled to hold me “I will fucking kill you, you pervert piece of shite! You will never get away with this!” I hissed at him, my tone having come down from screaming to a low and lethal octave “you can do whatever it is to us but Fraser and my Gran know about you, if you think their retribution won’t be swift and very fucking painful then just wait till my aunt gets her hands on you, you sickly little knob sucker. My family put the dark in the dark ages, we invented the iron maidens and the muggles copied us.”

Lockhart just chuckled at me “so dramatic and big mouthed, but I’ve already thought of that. First, we’re going to find that chamber entrance. Then, I’m going to kill you in the most painful way I know how and use a memory charm on poor Harry. The pain and grief of seeing his best friend die in a cave in and knowing we couldn’t save Miss Weasley drove him out of his mind.”

“We aren’t going anywhere with you,” Harry sneered dangerously “might as well kill us both and have done with it because if Athena doesn’t get you then I will.”

With that Harry let me go and just as Lockhart was starting to shout his spell, Ron came sliding down the end of the tunnel and cast a protego between us and Lockhart. Whatever spell that Lockhart cast was rebound upon him. The shockwave hit the walls as Lockhart was thrown backwards causing the cavern to start coming part, bits of the ceiling started to fall in large chunks. 

Harry caught the back of my robes and pulled me with him towards one of the nearby tunnels. Neither of us would have survived if Neville hadn’t cast another protego just then and kept the rocks from crushing us. The same rocks that, with a booming and thunderous grating crash, sealed the tunnel entrance we’d stumbled into.   
Felt like a lifetime passed before the noise died and only the sound of random rocks falling and our coughing from the dust echoed about. I lay there on the floor next to Harry not knowing how to feel. I was praying to every divine that’d listen that Lockhart was just saying sick shite to get to me, to taunt me and make me livid as possible before he killed me but there was a small part of me that believed what he’d said. 

“Azrael, are you dead?” Neville called through the rubble, he could barely be heard. 

Despite ourselves, Harry and I started laughing as Harry shouted back “Neville, that’s the last time we let you watch the Smurfs!” 

Took a bit but we shifted enough rock for Ron to pass us our wands. Any more than that and the rest of the place threatened to come down round our heads. It took the two boys a bit but they found stairs that led out of the partially collapsed cavern, the heir had to get in and out someway other than the tunnel. None of us asked what they should do for Lockhart, we just left him lying there. 

With wands now back in hand, Harry and I explored the tunnel we were trapped in and found that it was the one we needed (whether that was good or bad luck, we weren’t sure). The Chamber itself was sealed with a massive door that reminded me of a vault door in a bank but with snakes all over it. Harry had to speak snake to it again to get it to open.

Slytherin really had a thing for snakes and Greek Doric columns. The length of the Chamber was decorated with the unadorned columns between giant hissing serpent statues that towered over shallow pools. It had the same lighting as the cavern and it place an eerie feeling, which wasn’t helped by the cold, dank and stale water stank the place had. 

“Ginny!” Harry cried and sprinted for the end of the pathway

There, just before the large pool at the base of a statue of a man’s face, collapsed on the cold floor was Ginny Weasley and next to her was Riddle’s diary. Her long red hair haloed out around her and her skin was so pale, her lips her pale as Harry and I knelt next to her. I shrugged my robe off after touching Ginny’s cheek, she was freezing. I covered her with my robe. 

I winched and swore as I was hit in the shoulder by a red streaking light, it bowled me over backwards and drove the air from my lungs. Nothing happened though, I wasn’t hurt or knocked out because of green Auror shirt I was wearing. I lay there, completely still when I heard a smooth voiced boy say.

“I should have expected there’d be two of you,” there was a sneer to his voice “Ginny did tell me that you two are almost inseparable…no, Harry, I wouldn’t do that,” the boy said “don’t touch your wand.”

“What did you do to her?” Harry demanded as I slowly started to roll over, thankful that I’d holstered my wand before shucking my robes. 

The boy was tall with brown eyes and a silver prefect’s badge on his chest, he was wear vintage Slytherin robes “foolish little Ginny, writing down all her secrets in a tatty book she thought her daddy had bought her,” he laughed, his attention focused solely on Harry “she poured her soul out to me. Tom, I’m excited to go to Hogwarts. I’ve more friends than just Luna…Tom, I’m scared because I can’t remember what happened last night and a boy was attacked. My friends think I’ve been acting weird…Tom, I’m conflicted because I like two different people. So pathetic the drivel I had to listen too…” the boy stopped talking he noticed that Harry was just watching him “why aren’t you surprised by this?” he demanded angrily 

“You are Tom Marvolo Riddle,” Harry said simply “you are Voldemort. Why should I be surprised by anything you do? At this point I can guess that you are the Heir of Slytherin and that you are the one who killed Myrtle Warren. You’re a parselmouth like me and you control the basilisk. It only answers to one master.”

Riddle sneered and hissed “how do you know this?” 

Harry smirked “because I’ve a brain and I know how to listen,” that’a boy! Maybe boys can be taught “what I don’t know is how you’ve done this to her or what you’re doing to her.”

Riddle chuckled “I’m becoming a real boy, Harry. I was a memory preserved in a diary for fifty years waiting, just waiting for someone as foolish as Ginny to give me a way out by pouring their soul into me,” smiled as if it were so simple “I’m using her life force to reconstitute myself. While doing so, I made Ginny my proxy. I had made her kill the rosters and let lose my creature. When I’m done, she’ll be dead, not much life left in her at this point. Then you and that other will be dead. Lord Voldemort will have risen again and I will not be beaten by some snot nose little shite again!”

“That’s why you’re talking to me,” Harry nodded, shifting so he was kneeling a little more comfortably “Athena has always said that everyone has a reason for everything they do. Sometimes I’m not sure whether she’s full of it or actually very wise. You want grandeur,” Harry said simply, I smirked when I realized that Harry was trying to keep Riddle talking but for what I wasn’t sure “you want to be better than everyone else and you can’t stand the fact that I bet you somehow as a baby. The only person ever to survive a killing curse while you were destroyed by it,” Harry laughed as he stood “you failed, you know, when you were more than a memory or face sticking out the back of a man’s head. You never took Hogwarts, you never killed Dumbledore and you couldn’t even kill a child.”

Riddle’s face turned red “I am the greater sorcerer that has ever been! I’ve mastered the dark arts! I’ve mastered death, Harry Potter,” the boy sneered “Albus –too many bloody names- Dumbledore was driven out of this castle because of me!”

“You are nothing more than a bloody memory,” Harry interrupted “Albus –too many bloody names- Dumbledore will always be greater than you even if he’s not here! His influence is still in the castle!”

Riddle made to reply when trilling music filled the air and Fawkes swooped down, dropping something at Harry before ‘popping’ out of existence. Riddle had sent a streak of green light at the bird, pretty sure he was trying to kill it but he missed the shot when a rock bounced off his head. Swish and flick plus proper enunciation, even if whispered, works every time and gave me an opening to use expelliarmus. Ginny’s wand flew out of Riddle’s hand. 

“Miss me?” I asked with a smirk “you talk a lot, Riddle. I think they make an ointment for that.” 

“This is the best the Dumbledore can do?” Riddle demanded, wiping at the blood on his forehead “two second years and a raggedy old hat?” oh, that’s what Fawkes had, the sorting hat…so weird.

My smirk was still there “worked last year when we were first years, minus the hat though, that’s new.” 

Riddle roared and yelled something in parselmouth. The mouth on the statue started to open and I started to panic. I called to Harry and swore when Riddle to Harry’s wand before Harry could. Harry turned and sprinted towards me as the basilisk dropped out of the opened mouth and into the shallow pool there. 

“FUMOS DUO!” I cried, casting the strongest smoke screen that I could as Harry ran past. The thick smoke choked out what light there was and made the Chamber dark enough to hide the glowing eyes of the basilisk “AVIS OPPUGNO!”

The humming birds shot into the smoke as Harry was dragging me up so we could run. We heard both Riddle and the snake screaming as the humming birds attacked the snake’s eyes. Pecking them out as viciously as their long becks and fast wings could allow. Holy Merlin in a burlap sack! I didn’t think that would work but it did. 

“You don’t need your eyes!” Riddle cried “kill the boy, I’ll take care of the little bitch!”


	24. Then We Will Fight in the Shade…

Five seconds or so…that’s all it took for things to go sideways. The basilisk came out of the dissipating smoke that Riddle was making go away, its eyes were bloodied and ruined. Red ichor dripped down the sides of its face, bathing it in blood. Harry and I had paused to look back to see what was going on. 

Harry shoved me backwards just in time for a blot of green light to pass between us and was followed by a very cross nope rope bent on death. We spilt up then, Harry fled for the tunnel behind him and I went for the one behind me. I tripped on the uneven stones and felt a spell go over my head, it collapsed the tunnel entrance. 

“Aquamenti,” I cast the water spell at the pool causing a wall of water to sprout up before I hit it with the freezing spell “glacius!”

I leaped across the corner of the pool to the pillar that was protected by the ice wall, flinching when a spell slammed into the wall. Around the other side of the next pillar down, I saw that Riddle was getting ready to throw another spell at my wall and where he thought I was. It was pure luck and his ego that helped me get him by surprise with a langlock, tongue tying curse. 

Riddle saw me and his face twisted up in rage as he flicked Harry’s wand. I cried out as I dove back behind the ice wall, sharp shrapnel tore at me as the ice wall and half the pillar I’d been behind exploded. I cast a duro at the pillar I was behind, a strengthening charm before casting episkey at the top of my thigh and my shoulder that was cut open; swearing when another spell hit the pillar.   
….  
Harry needed to hurry back and I needed to figure out how to incapacitate Riddle. I’d lost the chance to disarm him; I felt stupid for not taking that option and used the tongue tying one instead. Stupid, stupid, stupid, I chanted at myself as I moved towards the pillar. There was a split second there were I caught Riddle’s eye, both our wands moving at the same time. 

I hit him with a knock-back jinx as a bombarda hit just below me, splashing water, rock bits and me upwards. A scream tore from me as I collided with the stone snake’s jaw above me, the fangs tearing at my shoulder and another scream when I landed on my side and on the lip of the pool. Breathing hurt after that considering it felt like I broke three ribs at the same I lost my wand in the water. FUCK!

That was about all I got to think as I heard Riddle roar, looking over to see him dragging himself out of the water of the pool below the head statue. There was enough time for me to push up and try to scramble backwards before his spell hit the pillar next to me and exploded it. I was sent backwards, into the wall to the side of the pillar and kept going until I’d hit the corner. 

My head rang as I slumped down to lay face first on the cold stone. Everything was fuzzy and something was rolling down the side of my face, it was warm and gushy feeling. My breaths were shallow and quick because everything else was very painful. Tenderly, I shook my head and moved to get up when my hand touched wood. My fingers closed around the slender thing and I felt metal too…Great Divines above, it was Ginny’s wand and it felt welcoming. 

Using the wall, I pushed myself up and hugged my ribs on my left side, so the wand was in my left hand. I got to the ruined pillar in time to see Harry come streaking out of a tunnel one up from the one he’d gone in. Riddle snarled and raised to strike the boy down with his own wand. 

“Vann spyd,” I whimpered and gasped as I cast the water spear sending it at Riddle just before hitting it with a “glacius,” so that the spear turned to sold ice before it impaled Riddle, carrying him backwards, it pinned him to the wall next to the statue face “expelliarmus!”

I couldn’t keep standing, leaning into the half broken column I slid to the ground and watched as Harry wand landed near Ginny. My lips were tingling and my head felt strange because I wasn't getting enough air. Of course it was then that the stupid, mush faced, bat winged, giant mother fucking nope rope chose to make an appearance.  
….  
My vision swayed and I tried blinking to clear as I watched Harry go for his wand and trip over the sorting hat. I leaned my head against the pillar as he pulled a sword from the hat and missed his chance to get his wand. The snake was after him and Fraser’s spell came to mind. I’m sure if I’d felt better and had the lung capacity to cast the spell properly I wouldn’t have been chucking stone spears at the snake. 

As crude as they were they still did damage and distracted the snake as Harry climbed up side of the statue face. I kept at it, the snake not knowing who to go after. Harry or the urchin throwing stab-y things at it but that choice was made when the floor below me gave way and dumped me into the pool. From the crackling-sizzle just before the floor gave, it was a spell that got done the rock in. 

The pool wasn’t as shallow as I’d thought but it wouldn’t have mattered just how deep it was in rubble trapped my foot. Found my wand though as I was trying to free myself. My brain was screaming for air, louder than it had before and for a second I thought that this was how I was going to die. Least ways, if I became a ghost I could always hang out with Myrtle because my foot wasn’t coming free and the need to breathe was overwhelming. 

One second I was on the verge of drowning and the next me and the water was being blasted into the air. I landed hard on the pathways but at least it was on my non-broken side but there were sharp rubble that’d been washed out with me that cut at my cheek. Hacking out a lung was fun when there was something pressing against it on top of broken-bone pain. The pain was lessened though, when I heard a trilling music. It wasn’t healing just soothing. 

It was with the last of my sheer will that I got to my feet and stumbled towards a now awake Ginny and a very pale Harry. Ginny’s eyes went wide when she looked towards me, my shuffling was very noisy. She moved to her feet and caught me as I collapsed, easing me down so we were both sitting and I was resting back against her; shivering almost violently. 

“Damn, Whiskers,” Harry whimpered, now that I was close to him I could tell he was trembling and the arm of his right sleeve was torn and bloody but no wound “what happened to you?” he asked as Ginny wrapped my robe around me 

“Boom,” I wheezed “you?” 

“Basilisk fang,” he looked to the ruined journal bleeding black ink “Fawkes healed me but he left.”

“Figures,” I grimaced before calling out “Jubilee!”

Ginny hugged my shoulders when I whimpered in pain “I’m not sure she can hear you down here,” the girl with fire like hair said using her cotton tie to wipe at the blood on my face “the wards don’t like white magic.”

I whimpered again as true tears came, I was in so much pain that I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep awake. Who knew when Gran and Fraser would get here, if they could at all? Who’s to say the rest of that cavern didn’t come down when Riddle was tossing exploding spells about? Ginny stopped her cleaning efforts and wrapped both of her arms around me, putting her chin on my shoulder, she was much warmer now. 

“What about Kreacher?” Harry asked suddenly “he’s been around dark magic for ages, think he could fool the wards?”

Only one way to find out, I thought before calling out weakly “Kreacher!” 

My tears came again as the foul elf ‘popped’ in to existence at my feet. His ears were droopy, his tea towel stained worse than ever and he was holding a golden locket that sent my hand to tingling unpleasantly. The elf frowned when he seen the state of me.

“Mistress is hurt,” he grumbled and glared at Harry and Ginny “did the blood traitors do it?”

I shook my head “can you…get us…out?” 

Kreacher raised an eyebrow and then titled his head when he spotted the ruined journal “that’s a horcrux, like this, its dying but feels the same.” 

Again I shook my head and Ginny spoke for me “we don’t know what that is.”

Kreacher just nodded absently and held the necklace out towards me “Master Regulus commanded me to destroy this, he was brave and kind and my master. Would Mistress destroy this so poor Kreacher and fulfill his brave master’s request?” 

“Can Harry do it, Kreacher?” Ginny asked as my breaths were coming raspier “and quickly because Athena needs a healer, please?”   
…  
I flinched, still shivering and whimpering when the locket died. There were screaming and ghostly eyes as Harry put the basilisk fang through it. Kreacher sighed with relief, his shoulders drooping a bit and he looked almost ten years younger. The elf quickly snapped out of it at Ginny’s bidding. He ordered Harry to pocket the items because they’d get us through the wards, that’s how he got through them and both Ginny and Harry were happy to get their wands back.   
Kreacher had a hand on my shoulder, Harry a hand on the elf’s shoulder and Ginny held to me; the Chamber vanished and Myrtle’s crowded bathroom came into existence. I cried out at the pressure of the traveling magic had had on my chest, leaving not only my lips tingling but my fingertips. 

“ATHENA!” Gran cried kneeling beside me as I panted very shallowly “what happened?”

“She dueled Riddle, Professor,” Harry wavered on his feet but Willie Pembroke steadied him “she really needs the Hospital wing.” 

“What?” Fraser and Gran said at the same time, Fraser had taken a knee on my other side; Harry presented them with the diary and necklace “what did you get yourself into, lass?” 

“Hell,” I wheezed “he…horcrux thingy…Kreacher.”

“Shush,” Gran cooed gently caressing my cheek “save you breathes.”

“I can carry her there,” Willie offered, he was a big man. Not as big as Hagrid but still able to lug me about for a fair bit “girl looks like she about pass out.”

Gran nodded and stood, Ginny only letting go of her hold once she was sure that Willie had good spotting on me. I whimpered as the big man lifted me gently in a bridal style carry. I grabbed Gran’s hand as she draped her own robes over mer. 

“Angie…Lockhart…note…preg…bragged…” was all I could manage before I had to stop to breathe but it was enough for her to understand. 

The woman closed her eyes “sweet Merlin,” she frowned deeply before turning away from me “Filius,” she called softly and the miniature professor seemed to pop up from nowhere “I need you to send for Madam Bones and School Governor Chairmen Rachel Connors, Malfoy was sacked,” Flitwick looked very confused but hurried off to do as told “Septima,” the Arithmancy professor came forward “can you show Mr. Pembroke to the infirmary with Athena and Miss Weasley?”

The pale witch with the thin but long black hair nodded. My head was laying on Willie’s chest, listening to his heartbeat and felt him breathing. The big man was very gentle as he carried me up to the infirmary, speaking gently to me the whole way to keep me awake. I’d known Willie a long time, he’s the one who got me the comic books, even the muggle ones. Kreacher following behind us as we went. 

Madam Pompfrey was horrified at the state of me, ordering Willie to put me down on the nearest bed before she got to work. She drew curtains around my bed before going to very quickly checked Ginny, not finding any life threating wounds, the matron ordered Ginny to find a bed and plant herself (Professor Vector stayed with her as Willie departed). Then the healer took control of Kreacher when he refused to leave me. 

The healer cut away my clothes and frowned at the wounds I’d accumulated. Most were just scraps and gashes (one long pink ropy scar on my thigh) but the whole left side of my chest, under my arm, was one massive bruise. I hazard a guess that my face looked much the same. Kreacher brought the woman potions, keeping silent and doing as ordered though she wasn’t his mistress. One of those potions was a sleep draught that worked as Pompfrey started casting spells.   
….  
I woke, I’m not sure when or how much time had passed but it was late, the window was dark. Dumbledore was seated next to my bed. He’d been reading the newest issue of some magazine that had a witch sipping tea watching knitting needles work themselves. Not sure if he noticed I was awake so I took stock of myself. My chest was stiff and there was a twinge when I took a testing breath, so I took a deep one and found that it didn’t hurt. 

“Madam Pompfrey was able to heal your ribs, they were compressing you lung,” Dumbledore said softly so not to startle me, he’d put the magazine down “the muscles will have to heal on their own, I’m afraid, so you’ll feel sore and stiff for a while. You’ll also keep the scar on your thigh that you healed in the chamber. A more powerful healing spell would have avoid the scaring but it was very well performed for what you did, Miss Black.” 

“Thanks, water?” I asked, Dumbledore helped me to get a drink. He’d conjured a class and filled it with a small water spell. It was actually good tasting “Harry and Ginny okay?” 

Dumbledore smiled as he banished the empty glass after helping me to lay back down “Miss Weasley has already been released and Mr. Potter was completely fine, tired but fine. He told me what happened in the Chamber before you were separated,” he quirked an eyebrow at me “while I do not approve of students using violence towards my professors I will overlook it this time, all things considered.”

I shook my head “even you have to admit that he was a horrible teacher,” the man just shrugged “w-what…Harry tell you what he bragged about in the cavern?” I asked frowning and Dumbledore nodded sadly “was-was he telling the truth? About Angie?”

The headmaster sighed heavily “Miss Johnson has requested that she talk with you about that herself. I can tell you that a lot has happened since you came out of the chamber and I don’t wish to keep you up longer than needed, Miss Black but I need to ask you some questions,” I nodded trying not to yawn “your house-elf, Kreacher, had a locket that Harry destroyed, what did he call it?”

“A horcrux or something like that,” I shrugged very much ready to go back to sleep “wasn’t quite on the task of asking him about it, to be honest.”

Dumbledore nodded “thank you, Miss Black.”  
…  
I woke to the sun in my eyes and to find Aunt Andy staring at out the window from her chair beside my bed, her hand holding mine. The woman looked like she hadn’t sleep very well recently. There were dark circles under eyes, her normally well maintained hair was askew and her clothes were wrinkled. She jumped a little when I squeezed her hand before I moved to sit up; my body was still a little sore and stiff but nothing to complain about. 

“You okay, Aunt Andy?” I asked, raising a concerned eyebrow, I yelped when the woman moved suddenly hugged me; sitting beside me on the bed “okay,” I patted her on the back “this is nice but you honestly need a shower.”

Aunt Andy started laughed, tears streaked down her cheeks as she let me go “I am so sorry, Athena, for how I’ve acted towards you because I was scared. I-I didn’t…dealing with Bellatrix the Death Eater was very hard for me; she tried to kill me once when I tried to help her,” she admitted “there’s a reason I never talk about her, ever. You have no idea how much it hurt to watch her go from being my big sister to a woman who’d torture a person if they breathed wrong around her,” she smiled then as she reached out a brushed a strain of hair out of my face “you are so like my big sister, my sister, Athena that sometimes it’s like having her back. I mean, I see Robert in you as well but more so my sister. When you…when the orb affected you it…”

“Bellatrix the Death Eater?” I asked sullenly “I’m not that Bellatrix, Aunt Andy.”

She held my face in her hands “I know but fear is such a powerful thing that I…” she let out a long breath “I let it dictate how I treated you and I am ashamed of it. Ted took me to a mind healer and I’m doing therapy as well so that I can grieve properly for my sister.”

I searched her brown eyes and found sincerity there, she wasn’t lying “I forgive you,” I told her “if you can forgive me for my temper. It’s been hard…”

Aunt Andy hugged me again “I know, sweetie, I had a long talk with Healer Ball about it,” she let me go again “there’s a lot that you’ve been through that you’ve never told us about and you come by your temper naturally.”

“So I’ve been told, more than once actually,” I grinned and then frowned “umm…do you think Madam Pompfrey would let me out of here?” 

Aunt Andy grinned “as soon as you’re dressed. Kreacher and Jubilee have been squabbling over who’s going to take care of you now. Whatever you did for him has completely changed his whole attitude,” her smiled dropped then “and I know that Angie has been wanting to talk to you.”

“Is she okay?” I demanded softly, grasping at Aunt Andy’s hand “did that son of a whore hurt her?” 

The older witch smiled sadly and patted my cheek “he did her no favors and her life will never be the same but Angie wants to tell you.”

I smacked the older woman’s shoulder “way to instill a sense of not-worry in me, Aunt Andy, good grief!”   
…  
Once I was dressed, faded jeans and one of the Auror t-shirts, Aunt Andy led down the Great Hall where most everyone was lounging about. Classes had been cancelled for the day and lunch was happening. Ginny was the first to reach me, hugging me tightly and thanking me in my part in her recuse. I just blushed, I didn’t really need to be thanked because I really didn’t want the attention. Ginny’s gushing and hug was starting to make me uncomfortable, the twins saved me. 

Neville and Harry descended upon me next and Ronald followed in a group hug that made Aunt Andy laugh. The boys dragged me to the table, not letting me get a word in edgewise as they recounted their parts of the Chamber Debacle. I noticed then, as we sat down, that Gran wasn’t in the teacher’s table.

Ron had come down the tube simply because he didn’t want to be left behind, which Harry and I very grateful for. They’d got Myrtle to go to Gran for them. The boy was blushing the same color as his hair when I finally got to speak, kid literally saved my life with that shield charm. Then he threw a roll at me when I told him   
that ‘see, monkeys can be trained’. Neville, through his chuckles, told me that the stairs led out to a portrait of Salazar Slytherin in the dungeons. 

“Hey, where’s Angie?” I asked looking around for her

Harry frowned “she’s been with McGonagall since we got back from the Chamber. No one’s seen her,” he patted my shoulder and whispered to me “I haven’t told anyone what Lockhart was saying down there, Nev and Ron never heard him,” he assured me before asking for the others to hear “you want us to escort you there?”

I looked to Aunt Andy and she shrugged “umm…no, I think I need to do this one by myself, to be honest.”

“What?” Ron frowned “I’m confused, what do you have to do by yourself?”

George gave his brother a shove as I stood “can I walk you?” he asked frowning “I just want to make sure she’s okay.”  
….  
It was Aunt Andy and Fred who got the others to let George and I leave by ourselves. Ginny was still being loved on by her friends (all of them), Harry looked as forlorn as I felt while Ron and Neville just looked very confused when George and I headed out of the Great Hall. I could feel Dumbledore’s eyes on George and me as we left. It felt like he was studying me. 

George slipped his arm around and pulled me into his side, telling me that he was happy that I was okay. He thanked me for helping save Ginny. I just shrugged and leaned in to him. Thinking back on it, I couldn’t quite remember why we thought it was a good idea to kidnap Lockhart and go down there on our own when we said we’d let Fraser handle it; there was a part of me that was still frightened, near paralyzed with the thought of: what if we had fail?

I let that thought go as we approached Gran’s office. The woman, herself, answered the door when George knocked. She smiled and pulled me to her and away from George for a hug. If Aunt Andy had looked disheveled and unrested than Gran had own the contest. Her long black hair was down out of its bun and she wasn’t wearing her robes, just slacks and a peasant blouse. 

“Is Angie alright, Professor?” George asked softly, I turned to watch him shove his hands into his pockets because he wasn’t sure what to do with them.   
Gran sighed heavily and nodded “she is but I’m afraid that she won’t be back to class or the dorms any time soon. If you want, write her a letter. Might be easier for her to communicate that way, Mr. Weasley.” 

“You can use Gorgo if you want, she’s due for a bit of layover or short trips,” I admitted, her last trip was to Helena. I’d been writing her all year and she mostly seemed to be in the States, never told me what she was up to but she’s the one who taught me how to do the ice wall “she likes bacon.”

“Thank you, Whiskers, Professor,” George nodded to us and quickly hurried off to write a letter; or that’s what I was assuming he was going to do. 

Gran pulled me into her office, shutting the door behind us “sorry about not visiting you in the infirmary, my little lion but things with Angie were complicated and needed my full attention.”

I just shrugged “no worries, Gran, the infirmary hasn’t changed since the last time I was in there,” I told her “curtains still up around those petrified and white color theme.”

Gran chuckled and paused at her desk, leaning against it “are you alright, lass?” she asked “Harry told me almost all of what happened down there; while I’ve very unhappy that you went down there at all, I do believe you actually got there just in time. Blake had just arrived when you lot were coming back.”

I shrugged and kicked at the floor “I…I really want to kick Lockhart in the balls for what he said and for what he’d done to his victims. I’m livid that none of us noticed Ginny’s battle with that damn book,” I shook my head “ya think after my own experience I’d have paid closer attention or something. I’m terrified because I keep wondering what would have happened if we’d failed or if when Harry killed the diary the water hadn’t shot me out of the pool. My foot was trapped and I couldn’t free myself,” I looked up at her and swallowed hard “I’m thankful to you, Gran, that you taught me how to defend myself. I’m now acutely aware of how much I still need to learn; just how inexperienced I am, there were missed opportunities and I let myself get cornered and I’m very thankful that Kreacher was able to answer my summons. Between you and me, I’m not…I don’t even want the think about how that would have played out without him.” 

Gran pulled me to her with tears in her eyes “you, my little lion, are most assuredly in the right house.”

“Thanks?” I was a little confused “by the way…what happened to Lockhart?”

Gran let out a very long breath before she answered “he’s in St. Mungo’s and probably will be for the rest of his life, if he’s smart,” there was a biting growl to her voice “the spell the rebounded on him was a memory charm that was compounded by a very nasty head injury. His memories were wiped and his short term memory was destroy; or so that’s what Strout has diagnosed so far.”

“Was he telling the truth?” I asked “down in the cavern?” 

Gran held my face in her hands and said after a very long moment “yes, he was,” Gran held on to me as I started to seethe “listen, Athena,” my eyes snapped to hers “Angie is scared and very venerable at the moment. The last few days have been very hard on her.”

My anger shifted to concern “what happened?”

The older witch let her hands fall away from me “I can’t tell you, student confidentiality,” she looked towards the painting of the Standing Stones “why don’t you go on in while I go find us some lunch?”  
…  
Angie was sitting on Gran’s couch when I came through the portrait. It took great effort on her part to come off the couch when she looked back and seen me and I couldn’t help but blink at her middle as she came around the end of the thing. Angie was huge…in a very pregnant way that women who are pregnant get. 

“Athena?” Angie frowned uncertainly and put her hands to her stomach 

I suddenly smirked and chuckled “I’m certain that didn’t happen overnight so can you teach me what you used to conceal…well, yourself because…that’s talent, big sis…oh, no,” I rushed to her when Angie started to tear up “what’d I do? I’m sorry, want some chocolate? I know where Gran keeps her stash.” 

Today was definitely the day of hugs because Angie about strangled me with hers, her arms around my neck and my throat to her shoulder. It was so weird to hug her, how the hell could I not have noticed her stomach before now? I squealed and pulled away from Angie when I felt something hit me where her stomach was against me.

“What was that?” I asked, wide eyed “something touched me, that’s not normal!” 

Angie started laughing then, she caught my hand and pushed it to her stomach and kept it there when it happened again “that’s my baby saying hello, Athena, that’s my son.”

“Oh,” I grinned and poked at her stomach “hello, little Angie-son.”

The older girl swatted at my hand “stop that, Whiskers,” she giggled and led me to the couch to sit down “are you okay with this?”

“No,” I sputtered and looked up at her, sitting sideways on the couch with my legs crisscrossed (my shoes off per Gran’s rule). I wanted to find Lockhart and kill him or shake Angie demanding to know what she was thinking getting this way but that’s only get me upchucked on, I let out a long breath “but I know this hasn’t been easy on you and I don’t want things to be hard for you, Angie. No matter what though, you’re still my sister.”

Angie nodded as she made herself comfortable, a pillow supporting her lower back “this wasn’t planned, you know, when things started with Gilderoy,” she rubbed at her swollen belly “I love him, or I thought I did…I don’t know how to feel now with what he’s done,” she admitted “he didn’t push me away when I first went to him and then he romanced me,” the girl looked over at me “he promised me everything, Athena. Gilderoy was going to propose and we were going to raise our son together,” she was wiping at her cheeks “should have known better.” 

I let out a sigh “you aren’t to blame for the promises of a conman, Angie. He fooled a lot of people and…and he may have actually meant what he told you,” I frowned “I don’t want to hurt you, sis, but I can’t…”

Angie grabbed my hand “please be honest with me,” she chuckled darkly “that’s all I want after everything. I was kicked out by my parents, they signed away their   
rights to me, Athena,” her eyes started to tear up “that’s were Kreacher and Jubilee are, getting my things from my family home.” 

“What?” I growled menacingly “what the bloody fuck’s wrong with them?” I demanded “what kind of parent does that? Do you have someplace to go after school lets out? Because if not, you’re coming home with me; being an heir to the Blacks has to count for something!”

Angie smiled as she caught my flailing hands “McGonagall is my legal guardian. Your Uncle Ted offered to take guardianship but Madam Bones said that it was better if McGonagall did it because he and Mrs. Tonks have you and Harry.”

“So…Hogwarts is going to be your home?” I asked, temper quelled and worry in its place

“No,” Angie giggled at me “McGonagall actually has a cottage in Hogsmeade.”

I was surprised by that “really, she’s never mentioned it,” I frowned as I gave it some thought “why not Fire Stone House in Castletown?”

“Because that’s owned by the clan,” Gran answered as she came through the porthole with a tray floating in front of her loaded with sandwiches, greasy chips and a pitcher of something “the cottage was a wedding gift from your great-grandmother, Athena, and it’s solely mine now that your granddad has passed. Fergus is going to fussy when he hears about this and I didn’t want to give him much chance to complain. I love my son to death but he can be so temperamental.”

I spent the rest of the afternoon with Gran and Angie in Gran’s quarters. As the food dwindled I told them the whole story of how Harry and I ended up in the Chamber. I couldn’t look at Angie for most of it but I know that Gran kept an arm around the girl’s shoulder. 

Gran questioned me when I got to the duel part…though I’m not sure if it was fair to call that a duel or a just what. She kept asking me about spell colors and what I was thinking as I did each spell. ‘Not dying’ and ‘geez, I hope this works’ were at the top of my remarks. The woman was also very interested in the locket that Kreacher had like Dumbledore had been. I felt exhausted by time I was done talking. Gran pulled me into her side, Angie was on the other.   
…  
The End of Term Feast was held that evening…also Hagrid getting out of Azkaban and the petrified becoming un-petrified, exams cancelled (everybody pass go). That’s what I was looking forward too. I had to suffer through the giving of the Special Service to the School Awards that Harry, Ron, Neville and I got and the award of the point for us to win the house cup. Dumbledore wouldn’t let me not take little trophy, the actual award was already in the trophy room. 

During the feast Harry got to tell me about his meeting with Dumbledore after we’d gotten out of the Chamber. He hadn’t been able to tell me earlier because I’d left before he could. Lucius Malfoy had come to Hogwarts to reinstate Dumbledore as his last official act, council made him if he wanted to avoid an impressive fine. It was then that Harry learned that his Dobby was the Dobby it I knew and was owned by the Malfoys. 

I did love that Harry pulled a fast on Lu-Lu and tricked him in to free Dobby. The little elf was strange and that had earned him no favors with his master, so I was happy that the little guy was away from the abuse. Least someone was from the household.   
…  
I was lightly napping with my head on the table, the dessert had yet to appear and I’d had my fill of the dinner foods. My nap had almost become full blown sleep when Angie nudged my side and pointed towards the doors. Angie had decided that she was up the feast as long as she had her concealment charms back in place; George was very happy to see her. 

Sleepily I looked towards the doors and squealed happily, nearly killing myself getting off the bench. Took a second for Harry, Ron and Neville to figure out what was going on before they were sprinting after me as I ran towards a very un-petrified Hermione. The Granger girl was giggling as I got to her and caught her in a hug, twirling her around happily. 

“Athena Cassiopeia Black, put me down!” Hermione demanded through her laughter 

I shook my head “never, Myne, never,” but I did as she ordered because she started smacking me “hey, that hurts!” I pouted. 

Just as Hermione got her feet on the ground the boys arrived, group hug; yes, even Ronald was in on it. Hermione ended up sneaking her way out of the hug and was happily dragged back to where we’d been sitting, taking the space between Harry and myself. The girl was starving but demanded to know what had happen since she’d been gone. Madam Pompfrey had only told them (the other petrified victims had showed up as well, Malcom was very happy to have his friend back) that the creature responsible was dead and the Chamber dealt with. 

We gave her the abridged version with the promise of the full (edited in terms of Angie) story later when we had privacy. Hermione was very unhappy to be proven wrong about Lockhart and pouted about that for a while. I kept an eye on Angie while Hermione lamented the man but she had turned her full focus on George. 

Sitting there at the table, having Hermione and Colin back with Angie sitting next to me chattering away happily, I couldn’t help but smile. Sure, life was going to be difficult coming up; especially for Angie but I was going to be there for my sister. She wasn’t going to be alone. 

I raised my cup of apple cider and silently toasted goodbye to one hellva year. Thanking the Great Divines that it was finally over. No one died, no one was maimed and everyone was going home (we’re not counting Lockhart by the way), what more could a person ask for…well, maybe a sword.

…The End…

**Author's Note:**

> Oh...and there might be a touch of I Love Lucy. Seriously love that show!


End file.
